Much of protecting yourself and your family comes down to common sense:

• Washing hands with soap and water.
• Avoiding touching eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue or your elbow.
• Avoiding close contact with people who are sick.
• Staying away from work, school or other people if you become sick with respiratory symptoms like fever and cough.
• Following guidance from public health officials.

According to Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and California Department of Public Health, early information out of China, where COVID-19 first started, shows that some people are at higher risk of getting very sick from this illness. This includes:

• Older adults
• Individuals with compromised immune systems
• Individuals who have serious chronic medical conditions like:
  • Heart disease
  • Diabetes
  • Lung disease

CDC recommends that people:

• Pay attention for potential COVID-19 symptoms including, fever, cough, and shortness of breath. If you feel like you are developing symptoms, call your doctor.
• If you develop emergency warning signs for COVID-19 get medical attention immediately. In adults, emergency warning signs*:
  • Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
  • Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
  • New confusion or inability to arouse
  • Bluish lips or face

*This list is not all inclusive. Please consult your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning.

California Department of Public Health recommends that you call ahead to your provider if you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and may have had contact with a person with COVID-19. If you recently traveled to countries or cities with apparent community spread, call your healthcare provider or local public health department first before seeking medical care so that appropriate precautions can be taken.

Additionally, CDC recommends:

• Staying home and calling your doctor.
• If you are not sick enough to be hospitalized, you can recover at home.
• Know when to get emergency help. Get medical attention immediately if you have any of the emergency warning signs listed above.

The Governor of California has recently declared a State of Emergency in all California counties due to the potential impact of COVID-19. To support this and care for our members, we have made a series of immediate changes for the duration of the State of Emergency:

• We have reduced cost-sharing (including, but not limited to, co-pays, deductibles, or coinsurance) to $0 for all medically necessary screening and testing for COVID-19, including:
  • hospital
  • emergency department
  • urgent care
  • provider office visits where the purpose of the visit is to be screened and/or tested for COVID-19
• You may receive medically necessary services from any available Medicare-certified provider or facility. This includes providers and facilities outside the medical group that you are assigned to with Golden State Medicare Health Plan.
• You do not need to obtain a prior authorization from your medical group or Golden State Medicare Health Plan in order to receive medically necessary services. Please be sure to use only Medicare-certified providers and facilities. You may do this by asking the provider or facility whether it participates in the Medicare program, which it must do to be Medicare-certified.
• You will pay the same amount as you would pay for receiving the same services through your regular medical group and/or doctor when receiving care from out-of-network Medicare-certified providers and facilities
• Early prescription refills allowed during the state of emergency – We are allowing early refills on prescription medicines so our members can prepare for extended supply needs—an extra 30- or 90-day supply as appropriate. You can get the maximum extended day supply of your medication if you request it and it's available at the time of refill.
• Once the declared State of Emergency is over, the temporary changes stated above will also end

Please check our website regularly for updates during this time or call us at 1-877-541-4111 (TTY callers dial 711) from 8am to 8pm daily

Golden State Medicare Health Plan is taking action to ensure that cost does not inhibit our members' access to medically necessary screening and testing for COVID-19. So, we are waiving cost-sharing (including, but not limited to, copays, deductibles or coinsurance) for medically necessary screening and testing for COVID-19.

The COVID-19 vaccine is now available to Californians 16 and older. The supply of the vaccines is such that everyone should be able to get one and we encourage you to do so. While many vaccination sites still require appointments, there are locations that accept walk-ins, too. Here we provide answers to some of those questions, based on the information we have now.

We will continue to update this page about the COVID-19 vaccine as more information becomes available. In the meantime, please contact your doctor with any specific questions regarding your health.

The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently issued a warning about companies selling fraudulent products to “treat” or “cure” COVID-19.

Protect yourself from this and remember: you should never give out your personal information over the phone to any unsolicited callers.

If you have questions, you can call your local Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) at (800) 434-0222. If you come across a COVID-19 phone scam or other kind of scam, hang up and report it to the California Senior Medicare Patrol at 1-855-613-7080.

Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades
https://www.cdc.gov/spanish/

Departamento de Salud Pública de California
https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OPA/Pages/CDPHespanol.aspx