Skip to main content.

Are You a Medicare Advantage Member*? OTC Products May Be Available at No Cost to You!

Posted March 28, 2024 by Kerri Towsley, Director, Product Development & Market Intelligence


Person pulling a medicine bottle out of a cardboard box

Did you know SummaCare makes it easier than ever to get over-the-counter (OTC) products to help you stay healthy at home? 

Most Medicare Advantage plan members receive a quarterly OTC benefit allowance to cover health and wellness products, non-prescription medications, vitamins, and more. You can use your SummaCare Visa card to pick up these health essentials at most major retail stores and pharmacies, or have them shipped directly to your door. 

Learn more about SummaCare’s valuable OTC benefits and take advantage of your Benefit Bucks™ quarterly allowance today — before it expires! It will save you time and money. 

How do OTC benefits work?

If you’re a Medicare Advantage member, who receives the quarterly OTC benefit, funds are loaded automatically onto your SummaCare Visa card every quarter. You can use your SummaCare Visa card to spend your OTC Benefit Bucks allowance for select over-the-counter medical products, such as allergy medications, antacids and cold medicine — to help you stay well or recover from minor illnesses. You must have your card with you when paying for OTC items — either online or at a local retailer. 

How can I purchase OTC products?

There are several easy ways to purchase OTC products. Choose the one that best fits your lifestyle. You can pick up products while you’re shopping at participating retailers or shop from SummaCare’s online catalog. Visit summacareotc.com to register and set up your account. Once you have an account, you can browse the OTC catalog, get a list of participating retailers, monitor your available balance, track your order and more. 

To get products delivered to your door, you can order:

  • Online at summacareotc.com.
  • By mail using an order form. 
  • Through the OTC-Anywhere mobile app. 
  • By phone: 855.435.5111.

When you shop from SummaCare’s mail order catalog, you don’t pay shipping or sales tax. However, sales tax will be included as part of your purchase price when shopping at local retailers. An order form is available within the OTC catalog. Additional forms may be downloaded from summacareotc.com

If ordering your OTC items through the catalog, no more than two separate orders may be placed per quarter. However, if you are purchasing OTC items from a local retailer, you are not restricted to the number of times you can use the benefit per quarter. 

What can I get with my OTC Benefit Bucks?

There are hundreds of health and wellness products you can choose from at participating retailers, including:

  • Allergy medicine: Allergy tablets, nasal spray
  • Antacids and acid reducers: Antacid chewables, gas relief
  • Cold and flu medicine: Cough syrup, nasal rinse, vapor rub
  • Dental and denture care: Denture cream, toothpaste, mouthwash
  • Diabetes care: Diabetic socks, glucose tablets
  • Eye and ear care: Artificial tears, ear drops, cotton swabs
  • First aid: Burn relief spray, Band-Aids, first-aid kits
  • Foot care: Corn and callus removers, medicated foot powder
  • Home aids: CPAP pillows, air purifiers, lumbar cushions
  • Incontinence supplies: Barrier cream, bedpan, bladder control pads
  • Pain-relief aids: Heat wraps, lidocaine patches
  • Pain relievers and fever reducers: Acetaminophen, ibuprofen
  • Skin and sun care: Hand sanitizer, sunscreen, Aquaphor
  • Supports and braces: Arthritis knee sleeves, back supports
  • Vitamins and minerals: Daily Multivitamins, calcium, fish oil

For a complete list of health and wellness products that your plan covers, visit summacareotc.com.  

Which retailers and pharmacies are participating?

You can purchase OTC products using SummaCare’s Visa card at more than 68,000 participating retailers and pharmacies nationwide, including: 

  • CVS
  • Discount Drug Mart
  • Dollar General
  • Family Dollar
  • Giant Eagle 
  • Kroger
  • Meijer
  • Rite Aid
  • Walgreens
  • Walmart 

Check summacareotc.com to be sure the places you shop accept your SummaCare Visa card. Also, while Visa requires the word “Debit” to appear on the card, it must be run at retail using the credit option to ensure a successful transaction.  

Do my OTC benefits roll over if I don’t use them?

Unfortunately, unused OTC Benefit Bucks do not roll over from one quarter to the next, or from one year to the next. So, make sure to take advantage of these benefit dollars before they expire. 

  • First quarter: January 1 – March 31
  • Second quarter: April 1 – June 30
  • Third quarter: July 1 – September 30
  • Fourth quarter: October 1 – December 31
For more information about your OTC benefit, call our dedicated advocates at 855.435.5111 (TTY 711) or chat with them online at summacareotc.com Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET.
*OTC is not available on some of the Medicare Employer Group plans, check your Evidence of Coverage for more details.

SummaCare is an HMO and HMO-POS plan with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in SummaCare depends on contract renewal. H3660_SC947_M Accepted 03172024
["https://enterprise.sapphirethreesixtyfive.com/?ci=SummaCareMedicare","https://enterprise.sapphirethreesixtyfive.com/?ci=SummaCareMedicare&network_id=15&geo_location=&locale=en","https://summacareweb.healthsparq.com/healthsparq/public/#/one/insurerCode=SCCR_I&brandCode=SCCR&productCode=PRODMC&postalCode","https://summacareweb.healthsparq.com/healthsparq/public/#/one/insurerCode=SCCR_I&brandCode=SCCR&productCode=PRODMC&postalCode=","https://summacareweb.healthsparq.com/healthsparq/public/#/one/insurerCode=SCCR_I&brandCode=SCCR&productCode=PRODMK&postalCode=","https://enterprise.sapphirethreesixtyfive.com/?ci=SummacareIndividual-Family","https://client.formularynavigator.com/Search.aspx?siteCode=3822601471","https://client.formularynavigator.com/Search.aspx?siteCode=7139238863","https://client.formularynavigator.com/Search.aspx?siteCode=3184374974","https://openenrollment.medimpact.com/#/plancode?SUM032021PL","https://openenrollment.medimpact.com/#/web/sum/pharmacy"]
[{"RootId":"a7b694b6-2900-400a-abd1-35cff4b9f3ce","RootUrl":"/medicare/understanding-medicare/glossary/"},{"RootId":"bb4c888a-5dd6-4576-bf4c-88afff4f77ef","RootUrl":"/medicare/understanding-medicare/faqs/"}]