A recent analysis has revealed significant discrepancies in drug pricing between mail-order pharmacies and traditional retail pharmacies. Blue Shield of California was charged $3000 per month by CVS Caremark for a cancer drug that is available from a wholesaler for $160 per month. Express Scripts charged Hyatt Hotels $1500 per month for the same drug. Additionally, Unity Care paid about $100 for a three-month supply of fluoxetine from a PBM's mail-order pharmacy, more than twice the average price retail pharmacies paid for the drug. The same prescription could be purchased from Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Drugs for about $12. The analysis, which examined 2.4 million claims by self-insured employers, found that branded drugs filled by mail were marked up on average 3 to 6 times higher than those dispensed by chain and grocery-store pharmacies, and roughly 35 times higher than those filled by independent pharmacies. Mail-order drug sales have increased to more than $206 billion from $86 billion over the past decade, though the number of prescriptions filled by mail has only risen 11%. Employers, such as Anderson Hay & Grain, have expressed concerns over these rising costs, with CFO Steve Gordon questioning the true cost of medications and the benefits of mail-order services. Lisa Nelson, Unity Care’s chief pharmacy officer in Washington state, stated, “It’s absolutely not fair, & it’s not saving us money.”
"I would like to see what’s the true cost of the medication, & what’s the difference between us going to our local pharmacy versus going to mail order,” said Steve Gordon, chief financial officer of Anderson Hay & Grain in Ellensburg, Wash. Anderson’s drug-benefit spending has… https://t.co/06Bcqhi6B0
When you thought you could save $ on prescription drugs by ordering from Costco: "Security Industry Specialists had used Costco to manage drug benefits for its more than 800 employees provided health insurance. SIS’s prescription-drug spending grew while the company used a… https://t.co/6b0zBJQ7bZ
"Mail-order drug sales have increased to more than $206 billion from $86 billion over the past decade, though the number of prescriptions filled by mail has risen only 11%, according to healthcare research firm Iqvia." https://t.co/HQWi8Bba8V
Branded drugs filled by mail were marked up on avg 3X to 6X higher > cost of medicines dispensed by chain & grocery-store pharmacies, & roughly 35X > than those filled by independent pharmacies, according to the analysis, which looked at 2.4 million claims by self-insured… https://t.co/06Bcqhi6B0
Branded drugs filled by mail were marked up on avg 3 to 6X higher > cost of medicines dispensed by chain & grocery-store pharmacies, and roughly 35X > than those filled by independent pharmacies, according to the analysis, which looked at 2.4 million claims by self-insured… https://t.co/06BcqhiEqy
An employee’s 3-month supply of a prescription for a generic antidepressant, fluoxetine, cost Unity Care about $100 from PBM's mail order pharmacy- more than 2x the avg price that retail pharmacies paid for the drug. The same fluoxetine prescription could be purchased from… https://t.co/06Bcqhi6B0
Markups were as much as 35 times higher than what other pharmacies charged, according to a recent analysis of millions of prescriptions in Washington state. “It’s absolutely not fair, & it’s not saving us money,” said Lisa Nelson, Unity Care’s chief pharmacy officer in WA state https://t.co/06Bcqhi6B0
Please make this make sense: "three-month supply of a prescription for a generic antidepressant, fluoxetine, cost Unity Care about $100...The same fluoxetine prescription could be purchased from @mcuban's @costplusdrugs for about $12" https://t.co/DQLXBQEgow @BernieSanders @AOC
“It’s absolutely not fair.” Employers find that mail-order pharmacies, which they were told would help save money on workers’ prescriptions, are contributing to higher drug costs. https://t.co/lCaKoZh4hq
Who Is Responsible for the High Cost of Prescription Drugs? One Advocate Weighs In https://t.co/gGQqyTH9Iq
Blue Shield of CA & CivicaScript were listed as the sources for US drug pricing story below w/data that CVS Caremark charged Blue Shield $3000 per month for the same cancer drug that's avail from a wholesaler at $160/month. Express Scripts charged Hyatt Hotels $1500/mo for the… https://t.co/quvImSMNaU
Blue Shield of CA & CivicaScript were listed as the sources for US drug pricing story below w/data that CVS Caremark charged Blue Shield $3000 per month for the same cancer drug that's avail from a wholesaler at $160/month. Express Scripts charged Hyatt Hotels $1500 for the same… https://t.co/quvImSMNaU