Concerned about getting prescription medicine for 180 day cruise

[carol1940]

I am going on the 2020 ATW cruise on oceania. I have been  told that I can can get 180 days of prescription medications before I depart. I am on medicare. Can anyone who has been on a world cruise confirm whether you can get an "override" at the pharmacy for 6 months of medicines and not have to pay more then a usual 90 day supply.What do you need to get the override.

 

I supposedly get free medical services onboard. Does that include drugs (such as antibiotics) or tests. Or does it include only doctor visit.

 

Finally, what did you run out of during the course of the cruise that you couldn't get onboard or easily onshore.

 

Thanks in advance for helpful answer.

 

Carol

[Ravbo]

You should be able to get an override.  You will have to work with your pharmacy and insurance company.

Even with the override you will have to pay for the full 180 day supply.

[janert]

I have been on a 120 day cruise and was able to get an override from my Part D provider.  Insurance company has to approve and then let pharmacy know.  This took several days, so start early. And be sure you have enough of your medications for several days after you get home.  Have a great trip.

[Heidi13]

11 hours ago, carol1940 said:

I am going on the 2020 ATW cruise on oceania. I have been  told that I can can get 180 days of prescription medications before I depart. I am on medicare. Can anyone who has been on a world cruise confirm whether you can get an "override" at the pharmacy for 6 months of medicines and not have to pay more then a usual 90 day supply.What do you need to get the override.

 

I supposedly get free medical services onboard. Does that include drugs (such as antibiotics) or tests. Or does it include only doctor visit.

 

Finally, what did you run out of during the course of the cruise that you couldn't get onboard or easily onshore.

 

Thanks in advance for helpful answer.

 

Carol

In Canada we have no problem getting a 6 month supply of medications, but note our system is most definitely different than the US.

 

For on board medical, suggest checking out the Oceania Board for the WC thread. 

 

Although our previous World Cruise was our first, we do travel for longer periods, so have a good idea of what we need for up to 6 months. Don't recall running out of anything, as we probably took some back home. For consumables, we monitored how long a unit lasts and then extrapolated for the number of days away.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I think pretty much any consumable can be had in many ports.  I'm thinking of things like mouthwash, toothpaste, shaving foam, particular types of shampoo, that ilk.  That being said, I'll be monitoring our usage for a few months before our cruise.  Fortunately we embark in Miami which means we can make a trip to the drugstore and get what we need locally, before we board.

 

And also fortunately, we are also Canadian, so have no trouble getting a six month supply of drugs.  In fact, we get one every year when we go to Florida for the winter.  It's also basically free, since we're over 65.

[Skoobdo]

I'm a full-time traveler and I've gotten overrides for 8 month prescriptions.  6 month is standard.  Never had any issues.  However, some pharmacies are pros at overrides and others have no clue.  I'm not on Medicaid just regular insurance. 

 

So I first call my insurance company and ask them the price of filling 6 month prescriptions at certain pharmacies, Walgreens, Walmart, CVS and others.  Once I receive the price listing, then I have the doctor send the script to the lowest priced pharmacy.  Which is never any of the above.  What I found out is your regular grocery store pharmacies are less than half the price.  Anyway, it usually takes a day and I pick up and pay the copay.

 

I always get at least 6 months even if I'm gone 3 months.  Always have extra for backup.  Many countries sell many legit prescription drugs right over the counter without a prescription.  A particular drug I was taking years ago that cost $65 for 30 tablets, I found the same identical drug for $3.00 that is made in Europe.

[secfan1]

Our medicare drug insurance denied my request for more than 90 days worth of drugs. I was able to get 120 days by using Goodrx. If you don't know about Goodrx, I recommend you check out their web site for finding the lowest price for your prescription drugs. The payment is not through your insurance but may be low enough that you may come out better off than by using your insurance plan. Since this by-passes the insurance company, all you need is for your doctor to send the Rx to the drug store near you with the lowest price. With this method, you should be able to get 120 or 180 days or whatever your need is.

[Scrapnana]

On 8/10/2019 at 12:27 PM, secfan1 said:

Our medicare drug insurance denied my request for more than 90 days worth of drugs. I was able to get 120 days by using Goodrx. If you don't know about Goodrx, I recommend you check out their web site for finding the lowest price for your prescription drugs. The payment is not through your insurance but may be low enough that you may come out better off than by using your insurance plan. Since this by-passes the insurance company, all you need is for your doctor to send the Rx to the drug store near you with the lowest price. With this method, you should be able to get 120 or 180 days or whatever your need is.

I had the same situation.  I was able to get 9 months of a prescription through GoodRx  at a cheaper rate than if I used my Part D prescription plan and there was no hassle.  The pharmacist told me that the rules had recently changed and for most drugs you could fill the entire prescription (even 12 months) at one time through GoodRx or the pharmacy's plan.

[Sergeant Major]

Good information to know here about prescriptions going out longer than 90 days. Thanks.

[Aquadesiac]

I've found BlinkHealth.com to be cheaper than GoodRX for many of my scripts. You pay online, but pick up at the local pharmacy of your choosing--Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, even the local grocery store.

[Lumetronik]

Does your prescription work in the countries you are going to visit as well?

[Heidi13]

5 hours ago, Lumetronik said:

Does your prescription work in the countries you are going to visit as well?

 

In my experience of 40 years of travel, prescriptions issued by a doctor in 1 country are not valid in another country. Another issue is medications have different names in different countries.

 

There are countries on a World Cruise where medications can be purchased without prescriptions, but you need to be very careful. In Dubai, we visited a chemist recommended by on son, who worked in the country, to replace our stock of anti-biotics and some other meds. Fortunately, DW is familiar with drug names, so with discussions with the chemist knew she was receiving what she wanted, as the names were different.

[Omax4]

15 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

In my experience of 40 years of travel, prescriptions issued by a doctor in 1 country are not valid in another country. Another issue is medications have different names in different countries.

 

There are countries on a World Cruise where medications can be purchased without prescriptions, but you need to be very careful. In Dubai, we visited a chemist recommended by on son, who worked in the country, to replace our stock of anti-biotics and some other meds. Fortunately, DW is familiar with drug names, so with discussions with the chemist knew she was receiving what she wanted, as the names were different.

The generic name of the medication will always be the same no matter what country you visit. Only the brand name will be different in other countries. As long as you know the generic drug name you are fine, 

 

You are correct that a doctor from one country cannot write a prescription in another country.

 

[wishIweretravelling]

Instead of worrying about an override, what I did was start refilling my 90-day prescriptions as soon as they were eligible (on my plan, that’s 61 days). Because I was booked well enough in advance of sail date, by the time I left I had stockpiled enough to last the cruise.

[Heidi13]

6 hours ago, Omax4 said:

The generic name of the medication will always be the same no matter what country you visit. Only the brand name will be different in other countries. As long as you know the generic drug name you are fine, 

 

You are correct that a doctor from one country cannot write a prescription in another country.

 

 

That hasn't been our experience when comparing brand-name, generic and OTC medications between Canada and UK since the 1980's. It also wasn't out experience when purchasing medications in Dubai in 2015, compared to medication names in Canada. We found Dubai closely resembled those used in UK.

 

[Omax4]

2 hours ago, wishIweretravelling said:

Instead of worrying about an override, what I did was start refilling my 90-day prescriptions as soon as they were eligible (on my plan, that’s 61 days). Because I was booked well enough in advance of sail date, by the time I left I had stockpiled enough to last the cruise.

‘That is a smart plan but as a retired pharmacist I can tell you most plans do not refill either at retail or mail order at 61 days. You had a good plan. Most plans would be closer to 70 to 75. But still a smart plans to stockpile.