Dear Jeff Bezos – Recent rumors that Amazon is considering entering the prescription drug business have that multi-billion-dollar industry quaking in its collective boots. And for good reason: Amazon has a reputation for exposing and driving down prices for the good of consumers.
The rumored $66 billion merger of retail pharmacy CVS and health insurer Aetna holds strong potential to inflict financial pain on American patients by artificially inflating prescription drug prices while reducing transparency and competition.
High-cost hospitals could end up holding the short end of the stick if new integrated pharmacy benefit models take hold.
Amazon’s plans to enter the healthcare market may not be ready for prime time, but it is high time for the healthcare industry to take Amazon’s threat seriously.
The pharmacy giant could be trying to move beyond contract-for-services by acquiring a health plan with a huge customer base. Regulators may be wary of the deal reducing options for Aetna members.
After failed merger with Humana, Aetna would need to convince feds that the merger is more than two industry behemoths coming together.
Anthem’s creation of its own pharmacy benefit management company could drive change throughout the industry as health plans and PBMs aim to maintain their competitive edge, experts said.
Health insurance giant Anthem Inc. moved to sever ties with pharmacy-benefits manager Express Scripts Holding Co. on Wednesday, opting instead to build its own such business in collaboration with CVS Health Corp. as it looks to contain its spiraling drug costs.
Quick quiz: Where is the cheapest gas in your neighborhood? Like most Americans, I can easily come up with an answer – it’s an independently owned station about a mile away where the price drops 10 cents a gallon after 9 p.m.
When two pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs)—Express Scripts and CVS Health—recently launched direct-to-consumer, drug discount cards, the pharmacy industry might have wondered if these pharmacy middlemen were trying out a new role.
