An undated illustration is shown on the packaging of the daily contraceptive Opil.
Perrigo | via Reuters
The first oral contraceptive sold without a prescription in the U.S. may remain out of reach for some women and girls because health insurance doesn’t have to cover it as an over-the-counter drug.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the sale of oral contraceptives. Opir The no-prescription offer is a historic decision that should make access to oral contraceptives easier by eliminating the need to visit a doctor’s office to fill a prescription.
According to a 2016 study published in the Journal of Women’s Health, one-third of adult women who have ever tried to obtain prescription contraceptives faced barriers to obtaining them. Sometimes.
opil manufacturer Perigot Perrigo executive Frederick Wellgrin said in a phone call with journalists on Thursday that Perrigo will announce the price of Opil months before the pill hits stores.
Wergrin said the company is committed to making Opil affordable. Perrigo is launching a patient assistance program to ensure the cost of the pill isn’t a barrier for women struggling to make ends meet.
However, some women and girls may still face barriers to obtaining opil. The Affordable Care Act does not require private health insurance to cover the cost of using the pill without a prescription. Most health insurance companies are required to provide free birth control with a doctor’s prescription.
State Medicaid programs generally aren’t required to cover drugs sold without a prescription, according to the Federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Perrigo is working on insurance coverage
Wergrin said Perrigo is working with private insurance and state Medicaid programs to make over-the-counter Opil free for women and girls. But she said the Affordable Care Act needs to be tweaked to ensure that health insurance pays for contraceptives without a prescription.
Wergrin said it was unclear whether insurance would cover Opil when it becomes available over-the-counter early next year. “We have some work to do to make that happen. It will take time,” she said.
Congressional Democrats and President Joe Biden are pushing for greater access to contraceptives.
Senator Pattie Murray (D, Washington) in May reintroduced a bill called “Affordability Is Access” to the Senate that would require health insurance companies to provide free oral contraceptives without a prescription.
In June, Mr. Biden ordered the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to ensure that all FDA-approved contraceptives were available at no out-of-pocket cost.
CMS is encouraging free health insurance coverage for over-the-counter contraceptives, a CMS spokesperson said Friday. The agency is working to ensure that contraceptives approved by the FDA for over-the-counter use are available at no cost, the spokesperson said.
Opil is 93% effective as a contraceptive. It is the most effective over-the-counter contraceptive in the United States and should be taken at the same time each day to ensure effectiveness.
Wergrin said the 15 million women in the United States who are sexually active but do not want to conceive are using contraceptive methods that are less effective than Opil or no contraception at all.
Nearly half of the 6 million pregnancies in the United States each year are unintended, according to the FDA. Unwanted pregnancies can lead to premature births and worsen the health of newborns, the agency said.
