Medicaid OTC Card 2027: Does Medicaid Give You an OTC Card?

Reviewed November 2, 2026. Medicaid itself doesn’t give you an OTC card. A Medicaid OTC card or catalog comes from your Medicaid health plan, which may add an over-the-counter (OTC) allowance as an extra benefit, usually $15 to $75 a month or quarter. Separately, state Medicaid programs cover many OTC medicines when a provider writes a prescription.

Quick answer: Check your Medicaid health plan’s extra benefits (often called value-added services or expanded benefits). If it lists an OTC allowance, you’ll order from a catalog, shop at a partner store such as CVS, or get a prepaid card, depending on the plan. If you have Medicare and Medicaid, a dual plan (D-SNP) usually carries a larger monthly OTC card for 2027. Ads promising a free “Medicaid flex card” to everyone are not a real government benefit.

Does Medicaid give you an OTC card?

Not directly. State Medicaid programs pay for covered OTC drugs through the pharmacy benefit, and they generally need a prescription. Mississippi Medicaid, for example, covers listed OTC drugs “pursuant to a written/verbal/electronic prescription.” (Mississippi Medicaid covered OTC list) New York’s NYRx covers medically necessary non-prescription drugs with a “fiscal order” from a prescriber (NY Department of Health: NYRx), and NC Medicaid requires a lawful prescription for OTC products (NC Medicaid Policy 9A).

The OTC card or allowance people talk about is a health plan extra. Most Medicaid members are enrolled in a managed care plan, and states let those plans add benefits beyond the standard package. Texas calls them value-added services and Florida calls them expanded benefits. The plan, not the state, decides whether to offer an OTC allowance, how much and how you use it, and it can change them from year to year.

Medicaid OTC allowances by plan: examples

These amounts come from each plan’s official Medicaid page or benefit insert:

Some plans don’t offer a general allowance at all, or limit it to certain members. Community First Health Plans in Texas, for example, lists a one-time $50 OTC allowance only for members in complex case management. For state-by-state details, see our Medicaid OTC benefits guide and the guides for Texas, Florida, Virginia and North Carolina.

Card, catalog or app: how Medicaid OTC benefits work

“OTC card” is a loose term. Many Medicaid plans don’t mail a plastic card. Instead you:

• Order from a catalog online, by phone or by mail, and the items ship to your home (Humana Louisiana, Superior, Aetna Kentucky).
• Shop in store with your member ID or an app barcode, usually at CVS (Carolina Complete Health, Aetna Better Health of Louisiana).
• Use a prepaid card loaded by the plan, more common with Medicare dual plans and reward programs.

Allowances are per member or per household, and most reset each month or quarter without rolling over. Superior and Carolina Complete Health both say unused amounts don’t carry forward. Read the “extra benefits” section of your member handbook to see which applies to you.

How to get a Medicaid OTC card

1. Confirm you have Medicaid and which plan you’re in. The plan name is on your member ID card. See how to check your Medicaid status.
2. Look up the plan’s extra benefits. Search the plan’s website for “OTC,” “value-added” or “expanded benefits,” or call Member Services.
3. Register or order the way the plan says, using your member ID. Some plans require you to set up an account with the vendor first.
4. If your plan has no OTC benefit, ask whether you can switch plans during your state’s plan change period, and compare doctors and pharmacies before you do.

Our step-by-step guide on how to apply for an OTC card with Medicaid goes into more detail, and the OTC eligible items list shows what catalogs typically include.

How to check your Medicaid OTC balance

Your balance is kept by the vendor that runs your plan’s benefit:

For card-specific steps, see how to check your OTC card balance and CVS OTC benefits.

If you have Medicare and Medicaid: OTC cards in 2027 dual plans

Original Medicare doesn’t include an OTC allowance. Medicare.gov notes that Medicare Advantage plans “may also offer extra benefits that Original Medicare doesn’t cover.” (Medicare.gov) People with both Medicare and Medicaid can join a Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP), and many 2027 D-SNPs carry a monthly OTC credit on a prepaid card. Examples from 2027 Summaries of Benefits:

CMS’s 2027 Medicare Advantage rule requires supplemental benefit debit cards to be “electronically linked to plan-covered items and services through a real-time identification mechanism,” checked at the point of sale and limited to the plan year. Plans must also post their eligibility rules for special supplemental benefits such as groceries. (CMS: CY 2027 final rule) Compare plans during Medicare Open Enrollment, October 15 to December 7, 2026; people with Medicaid may also have special enrollment chances. Read our dual eligibility guide and Medicaid flex card guide.

Keeping your Medicaid (and your OTC benefit) in 2027

Your plan’s OTC benefit ends if your Medicaid does. Two federal changes start in 2027 for adults covered through Medicaid expansion:

• Work and community engagement rules begin no later than January 1, 2027, for non-pregnant expansion adults 19 to 64 who aren’t enrolled in Medicare: 80 hours a month of work or other approved activities, or income of at least 80 times the federal minimum wage ($580 a month). Exemptions include medically frail people, parents or caretakers of a child 13 or younger, and others. (CMS fact sheet, June 2026)
• Six-month renewals for expansion adults, beginning with renewals scheduled on or after January 1, 2027. (CMS SMD #26-001)

Watch out for “Medicaid flex card” scams

Ads and robocalls sometimes promise a free OTC or flex card loaded with hundreds of dollars for anyone on Medicaid or Medicare. There is no such government card. CMS’s fraud guidance says, “If a caller offers a flex card from Medicare, it’s a scam.” (CMS fraud awareness) Never give your Medicaid or Medicare number to a caller you didn’t contact, and check any offer with your plan’s Member Services. Our OTC card guide explains how real cards work.

Frequently asked questions

Does Medicaid give you an OTC card?

Medicaid itself doesn’t. Some Medicaid health plans add an OTC allowance, such as Humana Healthy Horizons in Louisiana at $75 a quarter per household or Carolina Complete Health at $30 per member per quarter.

How much is the Medicaid OTC allowance?

It depends on the plan. Published 2026 amounts range from $15 a month (Aetna Better Health of Kentucky) to $75 a quarter per household (Humana Healthy Horizons in Louisiana). Many plans offer none.

Can I buy food with a Medicaid OTC card?

Usually not. Medicaid OTC allowances are for health and personal care items. Some plans offer a separate grocery or produce benefit for certain members; see does Medicaid give you money for groceries.

Where can I use my Medicaid OTC benefit?

Wherever your plan’s vendor says: often CVS stores and CVS online, or a mail-order catalog. See what stores accept OTC cards.

Does Medicaid cover over-the-counter medicine without a card?

Yes, in many states, if a provider prescribes it. States such as Mississippi, New York and North Carolina cover listed OTC drugs with a prescription or fiscal order through the pharmacy benefit.

Do I get a bigger OTC card with Medicare and Medicaid?

Often. 2027 dual plans list monthly OTC credits such as $230 (UnitedHealthcare Dual Complete NC-Q2) and $419 (UnitedHealthcare Dual Complete VA-YL). Amounts vary by plan and county.

This article is general information. Medicare365 is not affiliated with or endorsed by any state Medicaid agency, health plan, Medicare or any U.S. government agency. Benefits vary by plan, state and county and can change; check your member handbook or call the number on your member ID card.

Sources

• Mississippi Division of Medicaid: Covered OTC drug list (July 2025)
• New York State Department of Health: NYRx pharmacy program
• NC Medicaid Clinical Coverage Policy 9A: Over-the-counter products
• Humana Healthy Horizons in Louisiana: Pharmacy and OTC
• Humana Healthy Horizons in Florida: Expanded benefits
• Carolina Complete Health: OTC catalog
• Superior HealthPlan STAR Health value-added services, 2026-2027
• Sunshine Health: Benefit changes (June 30, 2026)
• Community First Health Plans: STAR value-added services, 2026-2027
• Aetna Better Health of Louisiana: OTC benefit
• Aetna Better Health of Kentucky: Member benefits
• CVS: How OTC benefit cards work
• Healthy Benefits+
• NationsBenefits: Contact
• Medicare.gov: Compare Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage
• UnitedHealthcare Dual Complete VA-YL 2027 Summary of Benefits
• Humana Dual Fully Integrated H2875-001 2027 Summary of Benefits
• UnitedHealthcare Dual Complete NC-Q2 2027 Summary of Benefits
• CMS: Contract Year 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D final rule
• CMS: Medicaid community engagement interim final rule fact sheet (June 2026)
• CMS: State Medicaid Director Letter #26-001 (six-month renewals)
• CMS: Open enrollment fraud awareness