Emergency Prescription Refill in Michigan — The 2020 Rule Is Gone. Here's What's Left.
If you remember getting a 60-day emergency refill in Michigan without calling your doctor, you are not imagining it. That rule existed. It also expired, and a lot of Michiganders are still walking into pharmacies expecting it.
The short version: Michigan's 60-day emergency refill authority was a COVID-era measure (MCL 333.17713) that ended on March 31, 2021. What remains is an insulin-only provision, MCL 333.17744f — up to three emergency supplies per calendar year. For any other medication, a Michigan pharmacist has no standing authority to refill without your prescriber.
What Happened in 2020
In March 2020, Executive Order 2020-25 allowed Michigan pharmacists to dispense emergency refills of up to a 60-day supply of any non-controlled maintenance medication, and required insurers to cover them. The legislature later codified a version as Public Act 324 of 2020, adding section 17713 to the Public Health Code — but only "through March 31, 2021" and only while a qualifying emergency order was in effect. A companion insurance provision, MCL 500.3406w, carried the same sunset. Both are now inapplicable.
So the memory is accurate and the rule is gone. Michigan's general pharmacy statute, MCL 333.17751, is back in force: a pharmacist shall not dispense a prescription drug without a prescription, with the exceptions the code names.
The Insulin Exception
One of those named exceptions is MCL 333.17744f. A pharmacist may dispense an emergency supply of insulin if you have a prescription for insulin in your name with no refills remaining, that pharmacy has dispensed insulin to you before, and in the pharmacist's judgment a failure to dispense might interrupt your care and significantly harm your well-being. The pharmacist must first make a reasonable effort to reach the prescriber, must inform the prescriber in writing within five business days, and must tell you the insulin was dispensed under this section. The limit is three emergency supplies per calendar year, and after each one you need a new prescription before the next.
Insulin is the entire list. Blood pressure medication, thyroid medication, antidepressants, statins, inhalers — none of them are covered.
Out of Medication in Michigan Today?
A board-certified internist reviews your request and sends the prescription to your pharmacy — often within the hour. Flat $59, charged only if approved.
Start my refill →What This Means in Practice
In Michigan, being out of refills is not a three-day inconvenience. It is a gap with nothing in it unless you are on insulin. Your options are to reach your prescriber, go to urgent care or an emergency department for a new prescription, or use a telehealth prescriber who will review your case and write one.
- Your prescriber's office is closed for the weekend or a holiday.
- You moved to Michigan and have not established with a physician.
- Your physician retired, closed the practice, or left the health system.
- You lost insurance and the practice will not schedule you.
- You are visiting Michigan and your medication is at home.
Getting a Prescription the Same Day
Dr. Refills is an asynchronous telehealth service. Every request is read personally by Iwan S. Nyotowidjojo, M.D., licensed to practice medicine in Michigan and board-certified in Internal Medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Because a prescription — not an emergency supply — is what Michigan law now requires, this is a direct answer to the gap.
- You answer a structured questionnaire about the medication, your dose, how long you have taken it, and relevant symptoms.
- A board-certified physician reviews it personally, including the safety screening for that drug class.
- If approved, the prescription is sent electronically to any licensed Michigan pharmacy — Meijer, Kroger, CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, an independent, or mail order.
- $59 for a 30-day supply, $79 for 90 days, any number of medications. Not approved means not charged.
What This Service Will Not Do
- No controlled substances of any schedule.
- No new prescriptions. Same-dose continuations of established medications only.
- No dose changes.
- Not a replacement for primary care.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. That authority under MCL 333.17713 expired March 31, 2021. The only standing emergency refill provision in Michigan is for insulin, under MCL 333.17744f.
Up to three per calendar year, and a new prescription is required between them.
No — you have to be physically located in Michigan when you submit the request. Telehealth licensure follows where the patient is.
You are not charged, and you are told why.
This article describes Michigan law as of September 2026 and is general information, not medical or legal advice. For your situation, speak with your pharmacist or a physician.