NoHLA Continues Efforts to Make OTC Pill Accessible

While we celebrate the FDA’s approval of Opill, the first over-the-counter (OTC) pill, there is more work that needs to be done. NoHLA continues to collaborate to improve access with Free the Pill, a project of Ibis Reproductive Health, a nonprofit that focuses on research, principled partnerships, and advancing policies around the globe. While Washington state law requires all insurance carriers to cover OTC birth control without cost-sharing, co-payments or deductibles, many carriers still provide access to OTC birth control only via reimbursement or at in-network pharmacy counters. Opill is expected to hit the shelves in early 2024 but it’s not clear how much Opill will cost someone who does not have health insurance. In a recent interview, Free the Pill Project Director Victoria Nichols called Opill’s approval a movement win for a coalition dedicated to reproductive justice values. Nichols says the priority now is on implementation and to ensure it benefits the people with the most barriers to access.