Over-the-Counter (OTC) and Healthy Benefit payments are specialized payment programs most often funded through Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage) health plans. These supplemental benefits are offered by participating health insurance providers to help members purchase eligible health and wellness products that support healthy living.
\nUnlike traditional payment cards, OTC and Healthy Benefit cards can only be used to purchase items approved by the member's health plan. Eligibility is determined at the product level, and only qualifying items are approved for payment. Common eligible products include:
\nOver-the-counter medications
\nFirst aid supplies
\nVitamins and nutritional supplements (when covered by the plan)
\nMedical equipment and supplies
\nPersonal care items
\nWellness products
\nSelect healthy food items (depending on the member's benefit plan)
\nEach Medicare Advantage plan defines its own benefit rules, including eligible products, available benefit balances, and spending limitations. During checkout, the payment network validates the member's available balance and determines which items in the transaction qualify for coverage. Eligible items are approved up to the available benefit amount, while non-eligible items or any remaining balance must be paid using another accepted payment method.
\nThe CDE Healthy Benefits API enables POS applications to integrate directly with supported benefit networks, allowing merchants to:
\nValidate benefit eligibility.
\nProcess Healthy Benefit and OTC payment transactions.
\nReceive detailed approval and response information.
\nSupport split-tender transactions when only a portion of the purchase is eligible for benefit payment.
\nBy integrating with the CDE Healthy Benefits API, merchants can provide a seamless checkout experience for customers using Medicare Advantage supplemental benefit cards while ensuring transactions comply with each benefit network's eligibility rules.
\nThis API documentation is designed to help software developers integrate Point of Sale (POS) applications with CDE's payment services for Healthy Benefits and Over-the-Counter (OTC) transactions.
\nUsing this API, your POS application can securely process the following payment types:
\nHealthy Benefits
\nOver-the-Counter (OTC) Benefits
\nThis guide provides comprehensive information for integrating with the CDE API platform, including how to establish a secure connection, authenticate requests, submit payment transactions, and interpret API responses. It also includes implementation best practices, error handling guidelines, and sample requests and responses to help simplify development and accelerate your integration.
\nTo begin your integration, your organization will be provided with API credentials and a Sandbox Location ID by your CDE Account Manager.
\nIf you have not yet received these credentials, please contact your Account Manager before proceeding.
\nYour API credentials are used to authenticate with the CDE platform and generate the access token required for all API requests. This token must be included in every authenticated API call.
\nThe Location ID uniquely identifies a specific merchant location within the CDE platform. This value is required for virtually all payment-related API requests and is referenced throughout this documentation. Ensure you use the appropriate Location ID for the merchant location you are integrating.
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\nNote: In bold are the Required fields
\nPath Variables
\nNote: In bold are the Required fields
\nPath Variables
\nNote: In bold are the Required fields
\nStandard parameters:
\nStandard parameters:
\nStandard parameters:
\nStandard parameters:
\nExternal Payment – Optum S3 Network
\nThe External Payment – Optum S3 Network API enables seamless integration of Optum S3 payment processing directly into your POS application. Through this integration, transactions are authorized via the Optum S3 network while automatically adjudicating purchased items against the cardholder's specific health benefits and insurance plan.
\nThe service supports a complete transaction lifecycle, including:
\nPurchase transactions (full and partial approvals)
\nRefunds
\nVoids
\nThis integration allows third-party POS applications to leverage Optum's real-time benefit adjudication while providing a streamlined payment experience for eligible healthcare purchases.
\nItems included in a Payment request must be either a valid UPC code or a valid PLU code listed below. PLU codes are designed to be utilized with Fresh, weighed or locally packaged items.
\nPLU Codes
\nNon-Meat Protein Item - IN0000000000619
\nCoffee/Tea Item - IN0000000000629
\nHerb/Spice Item - IN0000000000639
\nBakery Item- IN0000000000649
\nDairy Item- IN0000000000529
\nProduce Item- IN0000000000599
\nMeat Item- IN0000000000669
\nGrains Item- IN0000000000759
\nCard number data requried in S3 Purchase Request
\nS3 cards have multiple form factors that retailers should be aware of. These form factors are determined by the various health plans and can result in various card designs. There are two main form factors that are prevalent in the marketplace. These form factors include:
\n• Form 128 Barcode
\n• Magstripe
\nEither format can be used to transaction purposes. The card information simply needs to be included in the transaction request.
\nForm 128 Barcode
\nThe form 128 barcode will be found on the back of S3 cards. The S3 number will begin with 686811. That BIN is wholly owned by Solutran and can be used to identify Solutran card. These card numbers are 17 digits in length. A sample bar code is shown below.
\nS3 Magstripe Format
\nThe magnetic strip is found on the newer dual network cards. These cards have a BIN that begins with 418312 as a BIN. Like the 686811 BINS, this BIN is also wholly owned by Solutran and can be used to identify Solutran cards. The length of the 418312 cards numbers is 16-digits. The 418312 BIN is a registered Visa BIN.
\nFor the dual network cards, they will contain both a S3 card number and an S3 Visa BIN. Both card numbers are encoded on the magnetic strip of S3 cards. The format of the encoding follows the Visa standard layout. The S3 Visa number is included in Track 1 and Track 2 of the magnetic stripe. The S3 card number is found in the discretionary data of Track 1. The card number in Track 1 is an abbreviated number. This abbreviated number can be used for transaction as is.
\nAn example magnet stripe can be found below:
\nTrack 2
\n;4183120000000005=23121010000050000000?
\nTrack 2 Format
\nPosition 1 – Start Sentinel
\nPosition 2 – 17 – Visa Card number
\nPosition 18 – Field Separator
\nPosition 19 – 22 – Card Expiration Date
\nPosition 23 – 25 – Service Code
\nPosition 26 – 30 – Undefined
\nPosition 31 – 33 – CVV Code
\nPosition 34 – 38 – Undefined
\nPosition 39 – End Sentinel
\nOnly cards with S3 approved Bins are accepted by the API
\n418312
\n636811
\n610233
\n555440
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\nCurrently Supported
\nComing Soon
\nFIS Filtered Spend Network
\nInComm OTC Network
\nAs additional payment networks are integrated into the ChexIT platform, they will be made available through the same API framework, allowing POS developers to add support with minimal implementation changes.
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