{"id":13025,"date":"2022-09-19T15:21:59","date_gmt":"2022-09-19T15:21:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nhcoa.org\/es\/?p=13025"},"modified":"2022-09-19T15:24:21","modified_gmt":"2022-09-19T15:24:21","slug":"pharmacy-benefit-managers-driving-drug-costs-higher-for-consumers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nhcoa.org\/es\/pharmacy-benefit-managers-driving-drug-costs-higher-for-consumers\/","title":{"rendered":"Pharmacy Benefit Managers Driving Drug Costs Higher for Consumers"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
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As policymakers continue to seek answers on how to make prescription drugs more affordable, it\u2019s clear that we must address how money flows in the drug supply chain. This is particularly the case when it comes to pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

These middlemen companies were created to leverage significant bargaining power to negotiate discounted prices for prescription drugs for their clients \u2013 health insurers, self-insuring employers, and state employee and Medicaid programs. Today, there are persistent questions as to whether PBMs are actually fulfilling that role and delivering greater affordability.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Impact on Insulin<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Last year, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee investigated why patients with diabetes were experiencing soaring prices for insulin. The committee found<\/a>, to cite one example, that the negotiated net price for one insulin product had declined by 53% even as the list price rose by 141%. The problem lies in the fact that co-insurance charges paid by diabetes patients at the pharmacy counter are based on the list price, not the discounted price the PBMs are getting. In other words, middlemen pocket the discounts for themselves rather than passing them along to consumer.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

This is a particularly serious dilemma for Hispanic Americans who, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health<\/a>, are:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n