The Prescription Drug Landscape, Explored

This study includes a survey of health plan and pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) personnel to estimate trends in the share of overall health insurance premiums attributable to the pharmacy benefit, and in the volume of rebates and other payments paid by pharmaceutical manufacturers to PBMs. It estimates the share of rebates and price concessions paid after the purchase of a drug that the PBMs passed through to health plans, and how that share has changed over time. By estimating the overall volume of manufacturer rebates and the percentage passed through to health plans, the study provides insights into the revenue that manufacturer rebates add to PBMs.

Aaron Vandervelde, Eleanor Blalock, and Bryan Cote assisted in developing the report through primary and secondary research, model design and development, and report drafting. They also collected survey responses of healthcare providers, payers, and pharmaceutical supply chain personnel.

Read the report.