CVS Caremark is facing backlash, after birth control delivery startup Pill Club publicized a feud with the company with hashtag #CVSDeniesCare.
The startup claimed that CVS Caremark is going to cut payment rates for the delivery of the pills, which would essentially make the birth control more expensive and less accessible for a portion of women who cannot get to the pharmacy every month.
Twitter users pointed out the necessity of the service posting with the trending hashtag #CVSDeniesCare.
“I depend on birth control delivered to my home. CVS Caremark is planning to take birth control away from women, especially those who may have disabilities and can’t make it to a pharmacy. It is completely wrong. Please don’t deny care to women for profit @CVSHealth #CVSdeniesCare,” user @leahdii wrote.
In the post, Pill Club said it is requesting that CVS Caremark “honor our current contract and the payment rates that were in place until July 5.”
It added that without CVS Caremark’s cooperation, the startup “will have no choice but to stop serving people with CVS Caremark pharmacy benefits,” Newsweek reported.
In its comments, the startup has delineated CVS as inconsiderate to women’s health and wellness. In an email to Newsweek, a Pill Club representative wrote that “CVS is choosing to deprive tens of thousands of these women of the right to make personal decisions about their own health care.”
She added: “We prescribe and deliver to patients who are particularly vulnerable: women who live in rural areas, women of color, young women, and low-income women without insurance. In fact, more than half of our patients said that without Pill Club, they would likely have to stop using birth control altogether.”
On Twitter, a debate ensued, under #CVSDeniesCare. A second hashtag, #BoycottCVS, began to trend on Thursday afternoon. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the president of pro-choice advocacy group NARAL both weighed in.
“Women need birth control delivered for many reasons–physical challenges getting to the pharmacy, living in very rural areas, simple privacy concerns, or something else-it really doesn’t matter. What matters is that they should not be financially punished by CVS. #CVSDeniesCare,” Ilyse Hogue tweeted.
The ACLU tweeted about a past controversy involving a transgender woman who was denied hormone medication by a CVS pharmacist, apparently without providing a clear reason.
“CVS apologized when a pharmacist refused to fill our client’s hormone prescription, but has yet to address our call for policies and training to ensure it never happens again. #CVSDeniesCare,” the organization wrote.
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