Some Blue Shield of California plans offer an Over-the-Counter (OTC) Items benefit allowance for the purchase of eligible OTC items, including aspirin, vitamins, cough and cold medicines, bandages and more. To find out if your plan includes this benefit allowance, please check your Evidence of Coverage.
Our Blue Shield Medicare + Medi-Cal Plan (HMO D-SNP), offers a combined allowance for a Food and Produce* benefit (if qualifying conditions are met) and an OTC Items benefit.
More information on how to use this benefit will be available on January 1, 2027.
View the current 2026 OTC Items benefits
Blue Shield of California is an HMO, HMO D-SNP, and a PDP plan with a Medicare contract and a contract with the California State Medicaid Program. Enrollment in Blue Shield of California depends on contract renewal.
*The benefit mentioned is a Special Supplemental Benefit for the Chronically Ill (SSBCI). Not all plan members will qualify. Eligibility depends on meeting the definition of a “chronically ill enrollee”. Qualifying chronic conditions include but are not limited to: Cardiovascular disorders; Chronic heart failure; Diabetes mellitus; Overweight, obesity, and metabolic syndrome; and Chronic lung disorders. Please refer to the Plan’s Member Handbook for a complete list of qualifying chronic conditions and eligibility requirements.
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Page Last Updated: 10/1/2026