Over The Counter Drugs (OTC) - Health Insurance Definition
Over-the-Counter Drugs are any
medicine that you can purchase without a prescription.
It’s important to note that some over the
counter medicines are now kept behind the pharmacy
counter. You have to ask for them and sign for
them, but those also qualify as “over-the-counter.”
There have been a number of drugs in recent years
that changed slightly so that they could be sold
without a prescription. Federal regulations have
also changed, making some drugs available OTC
that were only available by prescription until
recently. That’s a big bonus in some cases.
You’ll find that a particular medicine your
doctor always prescribed for some ailment is now
on the pharmacy counter. There’s no need
to spend the money for a doctor’s visit
or to request a prescription.
On another note, talk to your doctor about any
over-the-counter medications you are taking. If
your health insurance plan doesn’t include
drug coverage or if your co-payment
or deductible
is expensive, ask your doctor if there are over-the-counter
alternatives to prescription medications. You
may find that these alternatives are just as effective
at a fraction of the cost of the prescription
medications. |
