The hottest Drug Pricing Substack posts right now

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The Beginning of the End for Big Corporate Medicine

BIG by Matt Stoller • 42285 implied HN points • 10 Feb 26
🏥 Health Politics Drug Pricing
  1. Huge vertically integrated health firms—wholesalers, insurers, PBMs, and provider chains—create conflicts of interest that drive up costs, steer care toward profit, and undermine clinicians' independence.
  2. A new bipartisan bill would force structural separation so companies must choose between being insurers/PBMs/wholesalers or owning providers, and it would empower enforcement to block future rollups.
  3. Momentum is building at both state and federal levels—through laws, FTC actions, and public support—to break up or tightly regulate Big Medicine and return power to patients and clinicians.

Bruised by Government Report, Cigna's Pharmacy Business Sues the Federal Trade Commission

HEALTH CARE un-covered • 579 implied HN points • 20 Sep 24
🏥 Health Politics Drug Pricing
  1. Cigna's pharmacy business, Express Scripts, is suing the Federal Trade Commission to challenge a report that claims they inflate drug prices and harm patients.
  2. The FTC's report has raised awareness about the power and practices of big pharmacy benefit managers, which control a large share of the market.
  3. Cigna is trying to protect its financial interests in pharmacy benefits, as they now make up a huge portion of the company's revenues, while also facing potential reforms from lawmakers.

More than half of every dollar spent by Medicare drug plans goes to private health insurers' pharmacy benefit managers and wholesalers

HEALTH CARE un-covered • 1318 implied HN points • 05 Jan 24
🏥 Health Politics Drug Pricing
  1. More than half of the money spent on Medicare drug plans goes to middlemen like pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and wholesalers, not to the actual drugs.
  2. These PBMs are making huge profits, taking over 40% of the funds while people often end up paying more for their medications.
  3. Lawmakers need to act on this issue because if they can reduce PBM profits, there could be funds to support important health programs for low-income Americans.

Your top 10 FAQ on drug prices

Your Local Epidemiologist • 1591 implied HN points • 15 May 25
🏥 Health Politics Drug Pricing
  1. Drug prices in the U.S. are much higher than in other countries because drug companies set their own prices, and patents keep competition away for many years. This results in Americans paying more for medications.
  2. High drug prices lead people to skip doses or avoid taking medicine altogether, which can result in serious health issues. Many people can't afford their medications, causing preventable health problems.
  3. There are possible solutions to lower drug prices, like the government negotiating prices and reforming patents to allow generics more quickly. However, it requires public pressure and political will to make these changes happen.

We Must Pay More for Drugs

Something to Consider • 79 implied HN points • 27 Jul 24
🏥 Health Politics Drug Pricing
  1. Patents help inventors protect their ideas, but they alone can't ensure fair profits from innovations. We need more support to make sure inventors get what they deserve.
  2. In a monopoly, the price of goods reflects production costs, not research costs. This can lead to less innovation if prices don't encourage investment.
  3. To encourage more drug discoveries, we might need to pay higher prices or create subsidies and prizes for medical breakthroughs. It’s a tough choice, but necessary for progress.
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WSJ shows insurers make patients pay thousands for cheap generics while Brookings thinks Congressional PBM reforms could fall short

HEALTH CARE un-covered • 479 implied HN points • 15 Sep 23
🏥 Health Politics Drug Pricing
  1. Health insurers are charging patients much more for generic drugs, even when those drugs are supposed to be cheap. This makes it hard for patients, especially those with serious health issues, to afford their medications.
  2. Researchers suggest that proposed Congressional reforms may not effectively lower drug costs because pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) could find new ways to maintain their profits.
  3. The market for PBM services is very concentrated, giving a few companies a lot of power. More competition could help lower drug prices, but eliminating PBM profits might only reduce overall spending by a small amount.

New Orders from Trump on Health

Who is Robert Malone • 16 implied HN points • 20 Dec 25
🏥 Health Politics Drug Pricing
  1. The president designated illicit fentanyl as a Weapon of Mass Destruction. That label unlocks broader law enforcement, financial, intelligence, and potential military tools to disrupt production and trafficking.
  2. Major drugmakers agreed to Most‑Favored‑Nation pricing and to donate active pharmaceutical ingredients to a Strategic Reserve. Those steps aim to lower U.S. drug costs and strengthen supply chains to reduce reliance on foreign manufacturing.
  3. Medical marijuana is being fast‑tracked toward Schedule III and expanded research on CBD and cannabis is ordered. This will ease research barriers, likely increase medical access and commercial opportunities, but it does not federally legalize marijuana.