Relentless Health Value

The Hidden Costs of PBMs: How Aggregate Discount Guarantees Inflate Drug Prices. In episode 465 of Relentlessly Seeking Value, host Stacey Richter interviews Chris Crawford, CEO of RxSaveCard, about the inflated costs within the pharmacy benefits industry. The discussion centers around a lawsuit involving J&J, highlighting how large PBMs can significantly overcharge for drugs that are available much cheaper through cash-pay options like Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Drugs. Crawford explains how Aggregate Discount Guarantees, a common contracting mechanism, often fail to control spread pricing effectively and instead may lead to higher costs for plan sponsors and employees. The episode also covers how RxSaveCard can help employers and employees access these lower cash prices, circumventing the inflated costs from traditional PBMs. === LINKS ===