CVS Drug Plans to Allow No-Cost Access to OTC Birth Control

(Bloomberg) -- CVS Health Corp. drug plans will cover over-the-counter oral birth control in the US, a step that further removes barriers to obtaining oral contraception as reproductive rights increasingly come under fire..

Opill, the nonprescription drug from Perrigo Co., will be added to the preventive services oral contraceptives list and will be covered at no cost for many plan sponsors, CVS Caremark said in a pharmacy update dated March 28 that was viewed by Bloomberg News..

Perrigo is thrilled" that the CVS plans will expand access to Opill, Triona Schmelter, Perrigos executive vice president for consumer self-care Americas, said in a statement..

The company says it serves 89 million people, so the move has the potential to expand access to free, nonprescription birth control to vast numbers of Americans. . The US Food and Drug Administration cleared Opill for nonprescription use last summer, making it the countrys first over-the-counter oral birth control product..

While birth control is free when prescribed by a doctor, state Medicaid programs and insurers arent required to cover over-the-counter versions, which created potential for patient costs that might make the pill inaccessible to some people..

You might be interested in