When is contraception covered by an insurance provider and when isn't it? I thought that as of 8/1/12, all contraception was to be provided by insurers without a co-pay. I was wrong.
My family has CVS Caremark prescription insurance coverage through my wife's employer. Two members of my family are on birth control. I thought that as of the first of this month, we would no longer have a co-pay for their contraception prescription. We all looked forward to this savings, naturally.
But according to a CVS Caremark customer service rep, we will have to wait until the start of our next plan year in order to enjoy the benefits of that provision of the ACA. Rather inconveniently, our next plan year doesn't begin until July 1, 2013. That means we will have to make these co-pays for 11 more months. At a cost of over $50 each, that will be more than $1100 for my family.
What the fuck? Is anybody else finding this to be the case? If so, and if the rep was correct, then a lot of Americans are going to find that 8/1/12 wasn't such a "day in infamy" after all. And if so, the communication about the implementation of this benefit was really mishandled.
Please share your experiences about having to pay or not pay, co-pays after 8/1/12.