MedBen Rx Blog
Looking for Total Transparency and Lower Costs in Pharmacy Benefits?
Employers are turning away from the "big three" pharmacy benefits managers to other PBMs that offer greater transparency and lower costs, says Wharton professor of health care management Lawton Robert Burns. As one of those alternatives, MedBen Rx is bringing...
Comparative Effectiveness Maximizes Drug Savings by Maximizing Clinical Value
At January's Benefits Advisory Conference, MedBen President & CEO Kurt Harden observed that when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) evaluates a new drug to be approved for sale, it has to be safe and effective, but not necessarily superior to what's already on...
MedBen Benefits Advisory Conference Highlights Health Plan Innovations
MedBen recently had the honor to welcome some of the most respected names in the benefits management industry. At the invitation-only 2024 Benefits Advisory Conference on January 26, attending brokers learned about health plan innovations that will help self-funded...
Tackle Specialty Drugs with MedBen Rx’s Benefit Preservation Program
A recent Segal Health Plan Cost Trend Survey projects 2024 cost trend for prescription drugs to approach 10%... but specialty drug trend alone may reach 15% this year, as increased use of expensive drugs continues to drive costs up. (We've actually seen specialty drug...
500+ Drugs Will See Price Increases in January
Pfizer, Sanofi, Takeda Pharmaceutical, and other drugmakers will raise the prices of more than 500 drugs in early January, according to an analysis by health care researchers 3 Axis Advisors. Inflation and rising manufacturing costs will contribute to the price...
ACI Drug Pricing Beats the PBM “Spread”
Spread pricing is the difference between what pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) charge health plans for drugs and what the pharmacy actually pays for them. Often, this “spread” can be substantial, as PBMs profit greatly from their lack of transparency… so it’s not...
A High-Value Approach to Lowering Rx Spend
MedBen Rx's expanded pharmacy solutions offer a variety of ways to reduce your prescription drug spend... including appropriateness solutions that use clinical-based research to recommend the most effective drugs to your plan members. Comparative effectiveness...
Combatting Drug Price Increases Requires Proven Saving Solutions
From a new report published by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services: "Over the period from January 2022 to January 2023, more than 4,200 drug products had price increases, of which 46 percent were larger than the rate of inflation. The average drug price...
The PBM “Non-Rebate” Rebate Shuffle
In their continuing quest for bigger profits, major pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) have adapted a new tactic: clever wordplay. What was once known as a "rebate" – a partial refund of the drug payment back to the plan – now goes by a variety of other terms, such as...
MedBen Rx Humira Biosimilar Recommendation
Here’s some cost-saving news for MedBen Rx clients who use Ventegra as their processor. On July 1, 2023, biosimilar products were released for the popular and expensive anti-inflammatory therapy, Humira. A 30-day supply of Humira, which is used to treat a variety of...
Diagnosis Code Required for Certain Ozempic Prescriptions
Important information for MedBen Rx clients using the Ventegra formulary: Effective October 1, an appropriate ICD-10 diagnosis code for type 2 diabetes will be required for certain Ozempic prescriptions and all other GLP-1 class medications. Ozempic and other GLP-1...
Fraker Discusses Drug Reimportation at Healthcare Innovation Conference
MedBen Senior Vice President Caroline Fraker was a featured speaker at the 10th Annual Sherrill-Morgan Healthcare Innovation Conference on September 15th. She spoke on the topic of drug importation, including the reimportation of U.S. manufactured prescription drugs...