The Cost
While federal laws mandate employer-based and Medicaid plans cover prescription birth control pills for free, the OTC version will carry a cost, according to A. Mark Fendrick, MD, director of the University of Michigan Center for Value-Based Insurance Design in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Seven states, including New Mexico and New York, already have laws in effect that require health plans to cover certain OTC contraceptives without a prescription, according to a tally kept by the nonprofit research organization KFF.
Dr. Fendrick said it would be helpful for health plans to offer coverage for the OTC pill without copays even if they are not required to do so.
Priced at about $20 a month, Opill “is likely out of reach for many of the individuals who would most benefit from an OTC option,” Dr. Fendrick told this news organization in an email.
The new pill may be utilized most by those who do not have health insurance or have low incomes and cannot afford to see a doctor for a prescription, according to Sally Rafie, PharmD, a pharmacist specialist at University of California San Diego Health and founder of the Birth Control Pharmacist.
The manufacturer’s suggested retail prices will be $19.99 for a 1-month supply and $49.99 for a 3-month supply. Dublin-based Perrigo said it plans to offer a cost-assistance program for the drug in the coming weeks for people who have low incomes and lack insurance.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.