Waukeshahealthinsurance.com-
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For the first time, women in the US can walk into a store and buy birth control pills over the counter without needing a prescription or health insurance.
Opil, the first oral contraceptive Approved by the US Food and Drug Administration To use without a prescriptionIt is available in most stores in certain retail pharmacy chains Like CVS, Walgreens and Walmart.
The product “Now in cvs.com and through the CVS Pharmacy app and will be available in more than 7,500 CVS Pharmacy stores in the coming weeks. spokesman Matt Blanchett said in an email. “For added privacy and convenience, customers can choose same-day delivery or buy online and pick up in store.”
Walgreens began offering OPIL in late March, spokeswoman Samantha Stansberry said.
The product is “available nationwide at Walgreens in the family planning aisle and behind the pharmacy,” Stanberry said in an email. “Customers can also order the product online for 30-minute pickup, 1-hour delivery or home delivery.”
At Walmart, it is “currently available on walmart.com and will be in stores in early April,” spokeswoman Tricia Moriarty said in an email.
In early March, Opel's first shipment was sent to distributors, major drug stores and pharmacies — but as those shipments traveled through the distribution pipeline, it took days or weeks for customers to receive the product.
That timeline includes shipments arriving at distribution points and then on to retailers. Retailers then package the product to order online or put it on store shelves.
Opel has a suggested retail price of $19.99 for a one-month supply and $49.99 for a three-month supply, while a six-month supply is available at Opel.com for $89.99. For consumers with health insurance plans that include FSA or HSA accounts; Opel might qualify. To be covered by those funds, however, individual plans may vary, according to Perrigo, the company behind Opel.
A Survey non-profit KFF In the year In 2022, it found that 39% of women who said they were likely to use over-the-counter birth control pills were willing and able to pay up to $10 a month, while 34% were willing and able to pay. up to $20 a month – the recommended monthly cost of Opel – and only 16% said they would pay more than $20. underneath Affordable Care ActMost insurance plans are required to provide birth control coverage with an out-of-pocket cost, so it is free.
Last week, Perrigo A Cost assistance program To offer Opel at a discount or at no cost to consumers who cannot afford the product. To qualify for the program, the customer must have public insurance provided by a business or government, a family income of 200% or less of the federal poverty level, and reside in the United States or a US state.
Some advocacy groups have praised the program.
“With Opil, the first over-the-counter birth control pill, hitting store shelves, it's important to ensure that people with barriers to sexual and reproductive health care don't face financial barriers to accessing Opil,” said Dr. Ragen McDonald-MosleyCEO of Power to Decide, a non-profit focused on sexual and reproductive health; he said in a statement..
“This cost assistance program is an important step in increasing access to contraception for those in need,” she said. “With this grant, eligible individuals can receive months of birth control at no cost, allowing them to manage their sexual and reproductive health care without worrying about the cost.”
Opil is approved by the FDA without age restrictions and is “suitable for use to prevent pregnancy in most people of reproductive age.” According to the website. Opil works like a “mini-pill” using only the hormone progestin to prevent pregnancy. It is a different formulation than the hormonal birth control pills that contain progesterone and estrogen.
Combined birth control pills Smokers over the age of 35 and those with uncontrolled high blood pressure or blood clots may be at risk. Contraindications for progesterone-only pills It includes conditions such as breast cancer or liver disease, or the use of certain medications.
When taken at the same time every day as prescribed, Opil is 98% effective in preventing pregnancy, Perrigo says. Most are birth control pills. Up to 99% effective To prevent pregnancy if taken daily as directed.
“For people who are trying to decide if the Pill is a birth control pill they want to try, I think the main thing I would talk about is making sure they're the type of people who want to take the pill first,” Dr. Colin Denny, director of family planning at NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn, said Monday.
“The second thing that I talk to them about a lot is the main side effect of Opil, which is just changes in people's periods,” she said. “Half of people have irregular bleeding. It is not dangerous. It's not a side effect to worry about, but it can be annoying.
Essentially, the Opil supply phase helps the patient control when they want to start or stop taking the birth control pill each day, Denny said.
“You don't have to take time out of your life to get a prescription. You don't have to have a regular doctor. You don't have to take time off to go to a doctor's appointment or get there or get to the pharmacy during their prescription period, they don't matter. And just like that, when you're ready to stop taking birth control pills, just stop,” Denny said. .
“What's unique about Opel is that it's really very patient-oriented,” she said. “They have a high level of control over all cases of new drug use in the United States.”