MedBen Rx Blog
FDA Rejects Psychedelic Drug MDMA As Treatment for PTSD
The potential for psychedelic drugs to serve legitimate medical purposes has become a growing topic of discussion. On August 9, the Food and Drug Administration rejected midomafetamine (MDMA), better known as ecstasy, as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder....
Greater Biosimilar Use Could Save U.S. $133 Billion in 2025
From a STAT opinion piece by Juliana M. Reed, executive director of the Biosimilars Forum: "Biologic medicines are some of the most important drugs in the world. They are also among the most expensive. Biosimilars are FDA-approved treatments that are similar to...
FTC Accuses Major PBMs of Overcharging Clients
In an interim report released on July 9, the Federal Trade Commission charges major pharmacy benefit managers of engaging in business practices designed to benefit their own bottom lines at the expense of clients. The FTC report, subtitled "The Powerful Middlemen...
Proposed Biosimilar Policy Change Great News for MedBen Rx Clients
The Food and Drug Administration is considering a change to its biosimilar policy that would greatly speed up their approval process – which, if enacted, would be a big win for MedBen Rx clients who are already reducing their prescription drug spend through...
Employers Weighing the Obesity Drug Question
While most health plans do not currently cover obesity medications like Wegovy and Zepbound – and MedBen Rx recommends clients continue not to do so – constant media coverage means the calls to do so will only grow. Therefore, employers are increasingly considering...
Freeman Retires after 36 Years with MedBen; Harden Elected Chairman, Fraker Named President
At the recent Annual Meeting for MedBen, Doug Freeman, who for over 36 years served as President and later Chairman of Medical Benefits Mutual Life Insurance Co. (MedBen), retired from the Board of Directors. At the same meeting, Kurt Harden, previously MedBen's...
MedBen Client 2023 Federal CAA Required Pharmacy Submission Complete
You might remember that the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (CAA) requires all health plans to file a pharmacy data report annually to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Each year, the Prescription Drug Data Collection reporting (RxDC)...
High-Cost Diabetes Drugs Increasingly Prescribed for Weight Loss
At recent MedBen University roundtables, MedBen President & CEO Kurt Harden examined how the growing public awareness of two diabetes drugs with a desirable side effect – significant weight loss – means that these $1,000-per-month medications are not always being...
Humira Biosimilar Program Sees Over $3 Million in Annualized Client Savings
Last year, MedBen Rx announced a new program that would enable clients to purchase Idacio, a biosimilar version of the anti-inflammatory therapy Humira – a drug that typically costs between $6,000 and $12,000 per month depending on the dose – for under $1,000 per...
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...