'Questions linger over cost of OTC birth control pills'

 

Over-the-counter (OTC) birth control pills are on the way, but the potential price for these contraceptives is raising concerns that accessibility may be lost if they aren’t affordable.

Perrigo via AP

Perrigo Company’s Opill birth control pill is set to become available in the first quarter of this year. The company has not disclosed the retail price of the pill, with a spokesperson saying it is committed to making sure its product is “accessible to people who need it.”    Stakeholders hope to avoid a similar situation to when OTC hearing aids became available in 2022. The ultimate cost of the products was much higher than what people would have paid with insurance.    In anticipation of the product hitting retail locations, lawmakers and activists are calling on the federal government to make sure that Opill is affordable for most consumers.     California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) led other Democratic governors in calling on the Department of Health and Human Services to expand private insurance coverage to OTC products.    “Without coverage that includes low or no out-of-pocket costs, over-the-counter birth control products become much less accessible,” the governors wrote.      Surveys have indicated a large share of reproductive-aged women — about 40 percent — would be willing to pay between $1 and $10 a month, but only 16 percent would pay more than $20 a month.   The steering committee for the Free the Pill campaign called on Perrigo this week to price a 3-month supply of Opill at $15.    “Though we are also advocating for OTC birth control to be fully covered by insurance without a prescription or cost sharing, we know that because US health insurance is often tied to employment, a high retail price could also put Opill out of reach for people who don’t have employer-based insurance,” the group wrote.  https://thehill.com/newsletters/health-care/4445504-price-questions-linger-for-over-the-counter-birth-control-pills/