Over-the-counter birth control pill to be covered by N.M. Medicaid
First oral contraceptive available without prescription set to hit shelves in weeks
It could be a little easier to get the pill in New Mexico going forward.
New Mexico’s Medicaid program is now offering coverage of Opill, the first daily oral contraceptive pill to win approval for over-the-counter use in the United States, the state Human Services Department announced Wednesday.
Opill, from Ireland-based manufacturer Perrigo, won approval for nonprescription use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last year. Daily oral contraceptive pills have required a prescription in the past.
New Mexico Medicaid customers should be able to take Opill to the pharmacy counters and check out with no cost, the state said in a news release. New Mexico Medicaid will cover Opill for any patient over the age of 9, according to agency spokeswoman Marina Pina. The company says the medication is safe for anyone who has started menstruating, regardless of age.
State officials touted the move as a major step in giving Medicaid customers health care access.
“The coverage of Opill is a step forward in empowering people with more choices in their reproductive health care,” Alanna Dancis, chief medical officer for the New Mexico Medicaid program, said in a statement. “We encourage our customers and pharmacists to familiarize themselves with this new coverage option.”
Opill, which Perrigo executives have previously said took nine years to bring to market, is a progestin-only medication and contains no estrogen. The company says that means it does not carry the increased risk of blood clots that estrogen-based birth control does. It works by thickening the cervical mucus, which helps block sperm from reaching the egg and prevents the ovaries from releasing eggs in some cycles, according to Perrigo. The medication has been deemed 98% effective in preventing pregnancy when used correctly.
The state is not anticipating a major change in cost to pay for the Opill coverage, Pina said in an email. The manufacturer sells it on its website for $49.99 for a three-month supply.
New Mexico Medicaid patients also have access to any no-cost pregnancy tests and emergency contraception through the program. That’s not a change, said Pina. But patients can now check those items out at pharmacy counters as well, the state said.
It’s not clear how widely available Opill is in New Mexico yet. Shipments of the drug have been sent out to retailers across the country in recent weeks, CNN reported in early March.
Spokespeople for Kroger, Walmart and CVS all confirmed Wednesday they intend to carry Opill and said they’re expecting shipments to stores in New Mexico and across the country in the coming weeks. A Walgreens spokeswoman said the pill will be available in stores this week, and Kroger it should be in Smith’s locations as soon as early April.
In Santa Fe, La Familia Health’s pharmacy doesn’t currently stock the drug, but leaders said Wednesday they plan to order it also.
The state said Human Services and the Department of Health have worked together to give pharmacists standing orders that will allow Medicaid customers to access over-the-counter products and medications with no copay.
The news comes amid renewed national attention on reproductive health care and just a day after the Supreme Court heard arguments on a challenge involving a FDA approval of mifepristone, a drug used for medication abortions.
Ellie Rushforth, managing reproductive rights and gender equity attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico, said in a written statement Wednesday organization leaders are “encouraged” by the announcement.
“This is a crucial step, especially in rural states like ours where patients often drive hundreds of miles to see a reproductive health care provider,” Rushforth wrote, adding that making contraception more available breaks down barriers for people who have been systematically excluded from our existing health care system, including people of color and LGBTQ+ people.
Rushforth said access to contraception is “under attack from those seeking to ban abortion, comprehensive pregnancy care, severely restrict access to assisted reproduction, and prohibit coverage for essential HIV preventive medications.
“We must continue to fight for the full spectrum of reproductive and sexual health care and ensure that everyone has the right to make decisions about their own bodies,” she wrote.