How To Shop OTC Items Online with Your Kaiser OTC Benefit
Some Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage plans include an over-the-counter (OTC) benefit. This benefit is similar to an FSA. It gives you a set allowance to spend on approved health and wellness items—such as pain relievers, bandages, cold medicine, and more. Your OTC funds will be loaded into an account that you can use to purchase items over the phone or online.
Many Kaiser members find shopping online to be the most convenient way to use their OTC benefits. It’s quick, easy, and lets you confirm that the products you’re buying are eligible for your OTC program.
In this guide, we’ll explain how Kaiser’s OTC benefits work and walk you through how to place an online order using your Kaiser OTC allowance.
How do Kaiser OTC benefits work?
If your Kaiser Medicare Advantage plan includes an OTC benefit, you’ll receive information about how to use the benefit. Your account will be preloaded with your plan’s allowance and will be refilled either monthly or quarterly depending on your specific plan.
It’s important to use your OTC funds before the end of each benefit period because unused balances do not roll over. You can use your OTC benefit to shop online or at participating retailers, but only for eligible health and wellness items.
Two steps to order OTC items online with your Kaiser OTC benefit
Follow these two, simple steps to get started and order your OTC items online with your Kaiser OTC benefit.
1. Visit your portal and activate your account
Visit the portal for your region. Note that each region (California, Colorado, Georgia, Mid-Atlantic, etc.) has its own portal. On your portal, you’ll see a prompt like, “First time user? Activate account.” Click the button to get started. Fill in your information and go through the process to activate your account.
2. Shop online through your portal
Once you’ve activated your account, you can return to your portal, sign in, then start shopping. You can use your benefit to order things like:
Vitamins and supplements
Over-the-counter allergy, cold, and flu medicine
Digestive aids
Pain relievers
First aid kits
Incontinence products
Monitoring devices, like blood pressure monitors and thermometers
Other wellness items
Be sure to review your plan’s details so you know when new funds are added and when they expire. Many Kaiser OTC allowances reload quarterly, so set a reminder to use your allowance before it expires.
If you’d like a simpler way to shop online, the Chapter OTC App is easy to use and can help you quickly find items that qualify under your specific Kaiser plan. Just enter your plan details, browse eligible products, and even set reminders so you never miss your quarterly allowance.
The bottom line
Using your Kaiser OTC benefit online is an easy way to take full advantage of your plan’s extra benefits. Activate your benefit, shop for approved health items online, and check out using your available balance.
You can shop directly through Kaiser’s partner OTC portal or simplify the process by using the free Chapter OTC App—so you never miss out on your cost-saving benefits again.