Mifepristone is available through certified prescribers, telehealth services, and certain retail pharmacies in states where medication abortion is legal. It is FDA-approved for ending a pregnancy up to 70 days (10 weeks) from the first day of your last menstrual period. Getting it requires a prescription from a healthcare provider who is certified under a federal program, but the process can often be completed entirely online.
How the Prescription Process Works
Mifepristone is regulated under a special FDA safety program called REMS (Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy). This means you cannot simply walk into any pharmacy with a prescription. The prescriber must be certified by completing a federal agreement form, and the pharmacy dispensing it must also be separately certified. These requirements apply whether you get the medication in person or by mail.
Once prescribed, the standard regimen is one 200 mg tablet of mifepristone taken orally, followed 24 to 48 hours later by a second medication, misoprostol. The combination is roughly 98% effective at ending pregnancies under 10 weeks. Mifepristone blocks the hormone progesterone, which a pregnancy needs to continue; misoprostol then causes the uterus to contract and empty.
Telehealth Services
Virtual clinics are the most common and typically least expensive way to get mifepristone. You fill out a health questionnaire online, consult with a provider by video, phone, or secure messaging, and if approved, receive the pills by mail. The median cost from a virtual clinic is around $150, compared to $563 at a brick-and-mortar facility.
Several telehealth organizations specialize in this service. Hey Jane and Choix (now operating under different structures) were among the first virtual abortion clinics to launch in 2020 and 2021, initially serving about 20 states and Washington, D.C. Other well-known options include Aid Access and the Medication Abortion Project (MAP). Plan C, a resource site rather than a provider itself, maintains a directory of online options with prices ranging from about $25 for pills without a clinical consultation to $150 or more with one.
Each telehealth provider lists the states it currently serves on its website. Availability depends on your state’s abortion laws and whether the provider holds the necessary certifications there.
Retail Pharmacies
Major pharmacy chains including CVS and Walgreens have begun dispensing mifepristone, though availability is still limited by geography. Walgreens initially launched distribution in Pennsylvania, New York, California, Massachusetts, and Illinois. CVS started in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Both chains have said they plan to expand to all states where abortion pill distribution is legal.
To fill a prescription at a retail pharmacy, the pharmacy itself must be certified under the REMS program. Not every location within a chain will carry the medication, so calling ahead is practical. The pharmacy can dispense it in person or ship it to you with package tracking.
Access in States With Abortion Restrictions
Eight states have enacted shield laws that allow abortion providers based in those states to prescribe and mail medication to patients in states where abortion is banned. Organizations like the Medication Abortion Project operate under these laws, treating out-of-state patients as if they were local. The shield laws offer providers legal protection from criminal prosecution, civil claims, and extradition requests from restrictive states.
The typical process through these organizations is straightforward: you complete an online form, connect with a doctor by email or text, and if approved, receive the pills within about a week regardless of where you live. The legal risk in this situation falls primarily on the provider, not the patient, though laws vary and enforcement approaches differ by state.
Cost and Payment
What you pay depends heavily on where you go. At in-person clinics, the median out-of-pocket cost for medication abortion in 2023 was $563. Virtual clinics charge significantly less, with a median around $150. Some online pharmacies listed through the Plan C directory offer pills for as little as $25 without a provider consultation.
Insurance coverage varies. Some private plans and Medicaid programs in certain states cover medication abortion, while others exclude it. Many telehealth services accept insurance but also offer sliding-scale pricing or connect patients with abortion funds that help cover costs.
Mifepristone Is Not Emergency Contraception
A common source of confusion: mifepristone and Plan B (levonorgestrel) are different medications that work at different stages. Plan B prevents pregnancy by blocking or delaying ovulation, and it is taken before a pregnancy is established. Mifepristone ends an existing pregnancy by blocking progesterone. Plan B is available over the counter without a prescription. Mifepristone is not.
In research settings, very low doses of mifepristone (10 mg, one-twentieth of the abortion dose) have been studied as emergency contraception, where it works similarly to Plan B by disrupting ovulation. But mifepristone is not sold or marketed for that purpose in the U.S.