FITCHBURG, Wis. — Starting Thursday, BadgerCare Plus members now have direct access to over-the-counter emergency contraceptives.

Gov. Tony Evers issued a standing order allowing members to get this medication without a prescription.

Thad Schumacher is the owner of Fitchburg Family Pharmacy. He said the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade left him scrambling for a solution to ensure patients could still access contraceptives, including lowering the cost of these medications.

“We had set up several years ago, when we lowered the price, kind of a fund that people could put money into,” Schumacher said. “So, we're able to provide this medication free through that. But that's an unsustainable system.”

He said he’s hopeful that the governor’s new standing order will be a more sustainable way to get these medications in the hands of those who need them.

“Having Medicaid cover this definitely decreases the barrier,” he said. “We have had patients who have come in and couldn't afford the medication.”

Thursday’s announcement allows BadgerCare Plus members to get access to several types of over-the-counter emergency contraceptives without a prescription, at no cost to them.

Dr. Jody Epstein, a family medicine physician at Access Community Health Centers, said this had been a major barrier to many of her patients.

“Sometimes patients are hoping to have contraception, but they never get through all the hurdles of calling the doctor's office or arriving for a visit, or accepting return phone calls because their phone doesn't work, etc.,” she said.

Dr. Epstein said removing these hurdles is critical, as many of these medications need to be taken right away to work properly.

“I think having access to the contraceptives that they want, well ahead of time without having all those delays, will get people to a place where they can plan for their pregnancies appropriately,” she said.

There are still some hurdles to get over, though. Not all types of medication will be covered, including name-brand Plan B.

Schumacher said his pharmacy is still finalizing how they will administrate this order.

“We're going to work through the details and protocols and build some systems to be in place to make it as quick and easy for somebody to pick up this medication when they come into the pharmacy,” he said.

Patients will be able to go to any Medicaid-enrolled pharmacy and checkout using their ForwardHealth card to get the medication.