Louisiana Blue Offers Services to Members Affected by Hurricane Francine

Baton Rouge, La. – Hurricane Francine hit the Louisiana coast Wednesday afternoon, causing flooding and power outages across the state. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana has services available to help members who were affected by the storm stay on top of their healthcare needs. 

Louisiana Blue services for affected members include: 

• Allowing early prescription medicine refills for a limited time. This will help members make sure they have enough medication on hand. Members who have trouble refilling a prescription can call the Pharmacy number on their ID cards for help. Blue Advantage members can call their Customer Service number.

• Replacing certain medical supplies and equipment such as hearing aids, walkers or prosthetic devices. Effective today (Sept. 12), standard timeframes for replacing this equipment will not apply to anything damaged in the storm. Members can call Customer Service at the number on their ID cards to report damaged supplies or equipment and see if it can be replaced. 

• Waiving provider penalties for late prior authorization requests for medical or behavioral health services and approving in-network level of benefits for participating providers. This is effective beginning today (Sept. 12). Coverage of services that require authorization is still subject to medical necessity as outlined in each member's plan. Providers or members who need authorization for healthcare services can call Customer Service to ask how this would be covered and what to do. 

Louisiana Blue Customer Service is available between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Central Time on Thursday, Sept. 12. Extended hours through 8 p.m. are currently not available because of limited staffing. 

Some Louisiana Blue regional offices and the headquarters in Baton Rouge have limited staff availability. Before going to any Louisiana Blue office, contact Customer Service to see if your question can be handled by phone.

See more health-related hurricane preparedness tips at lablue.com/hurricanes.  

For the latest updates and information, visit Louisiana Blue’s website, lablue.com, or follow Louisiana Blue on social media @MyLouisianaBlue. 

About Louisiana Blue
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, or Louisiana Blue, is committed to our mission to improve the health and lives of Louisianians. Founded in New Orleans in 1934, we are a tax-paying not-for-profit health insurer with offices in every major region to serve our customers. We have been recognized for the past six years as an honoree of The Civic 50, named by Points of Light as one of the 50 most community-minded companies in the United States. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. We invite all Louisianians to visit our website at lablue.com or talk to us on social media @MyLouisianaBlue.