Today, Governor Roy Cooper joined North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) leadership and a representative from Walgreens for an announcement on Medicaid coverage in Chapel Hill. As part of NCDHHS and the Governor's continued work to expand access to reproductive health services, NC Medicaid will begin covering over-the-counter contraception in pharmacies across the state. Starting Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, the oral contraceptive Opill will be available through local and retail pharmacies without a prescription, at no cost for NC Medicaid beneficiaries. Opill is the first over-the-counter oral contraception that has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

"North Carolina is working to expand access to health care and that includes the freedom to make decisions about family planning," said Governor Cooper. "Making birth control easier to get is an important goal and I'm glad that NC Medicaid can take this step."

"Our goal is to ensure everyone has access to the right contraception and reproductive services at the right time in their community," said NC Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley. "This new coverage is part of our ongoing work to invest in child and family well-being by increasing access to health care and ultimately improving maternal and infant outcomes."

Expansion of contraceptive services allows Medicaid beneficiaries better access to health care by reducing barriers to contraception medication, such as cost and the need for a prescription from their health care provider. Medicaid beneficiaries will be able to get Opill over the counter from Medicaid-enrolled pharmacies who will be able to submit the claim for reimbursement.

"We are so grateful to the pharmacies and pharmacists who are partnering with us in this critical work to expand access to contraception and reproductive health services," said State Health Director and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Elizabeth Cuervo Tilson. "This new coverage by NC Medicaid demonstrates our commitment to continue to remove barriers to contraception and ensure North Carolinians have access to the services they need to make the best decisions about their health and life."

Opill over-the-counter coverage builds on NCDHHS' ongoing work to ensure more North Carolinians have access to reproductive health services. Prior efforts include the implementation of pharmacist-initiated contraception, through which pharmacists can provide counsel about many options for prescription contraception, initiate a prescription and dispense contraception, and connect people to ongoing care if needed. Community access to contraception is particularly important in rural areas that have fewer providers and are considered maternal health and contraceptive deserts.

North Carolina Session Law 2021-110/HB 96 grants authority to pharmacists to prescribe a variety of contraception under protocols approved by the NC Board of Pharmacy and the NC Medical Board. NC Medicaid began enrolling pharmacists as providers in January 2024. To date, there are more than 330 retail and commercial pharmacies in 92 counties providing contraceptive services. The Department will continue to work to expand the level of access to contraceptive services in communities statewide.

More information about coverage for Opill is available in the NC Medicaid bulletin. To find a pharmacy providing pharmacy-initiated contraceptive services in North Carolina, visit ncpharmacyfinder.com.

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