Posted by Michael Wonder on 01 Mar 2017
Drug benefit managers need more oversight, pharmacists say
28 February 2017 - Letter to HHS says pharmacy middlemen operate in ‘black box’.
Middlemen who manage drug benefits for employers and insurers should be under greater government oversight of their pricing and billing practices to make health care cheaper, an independent pharmacists’ group said.
President Donald Trump’s plans to lower prescription drug costs will only succeed if greater transparency is imposed on pharmacy benefit managers, the group said in a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price that was released Monday. PBMs include CVS Health Corp., which also operates retail pharmacies, and Express Scripts.
