At first glance, the bitter Twitter battle against CVS over birth control pills this week may have convinced you that the pharmacy giant was blocking access to the contraceptive. But like most Twitter scuffles, it’s complicated.
Here’s what’s really happening.
CVS Caremark, a CVS subsidiary that works with pharmaceutical companies to set prescription pricing for customers of CVS and other pharmacies, has reduced how much it’ll reimburse retailers that only sell one product. One such online startup, Pill Club, mails women birth control in packages filled with other goodies like stickers that say “You are magical” and chocolate. CVS’ move means Pill Club will be reimbursed at a lower rate for customers whose insurance is tied to CVS Caremark, making it so the company can no longer afford to service those people. Read more…
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