Gov. Roy Cooper (D) declared a State of Emergency effective August 5, 2024, and it will remain in effect for 30 days. The Order activates the State Emergency Operations Plan and allows for the Department of Transportation and the Department of Public Safety to take the appropriate action to ensure the expeditious movement of utility vehicles to eliminate power outages, vehicles carrying essential supplies such as food, medicine and fuel or transporting livestock, poultry and crops. This order also triggers the Price Gouging Law.

Also in North Carolina, effective August 1, 2024, Medicaid beneficiaries may obtain the over the counter (OTC) oral contraceptive Opill without a prescription and at no cost. While Medicaid encourages establishing care with a medical home, coverage without a prescription allows Medicaid beneficiaries easy access to the product and reduces barriers such as having to make an appointment to get a prescription, needing transportation to the appointment or even a lack of health care providers in the community. Medicaid beneficiaries will be able to get Opill from pharmacies enrolled in Medicaid who will be able to submit the claim for reimbursement. A $5.00 fee will be included in the reimbursement amount paid to the pharmacy. A dispensing fee will not be paid. Beneficiaries are allowed to obtain up to a 3-month supply of Opill with each request, without a prescription, with a maximum of 13 packs per year. Opill is a progestin only contraceptive. Pharmacists should counsel beneficiaries that Opill is most effective when taken once a day at the same time each day.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.