[briHass]

>I'm concerned that Mark Cuban is capitalizing on people's lack of understanding about how insurance works and how easy it can be to look up drug prices (use your insurance company's website or just pick up the phone and call your pharmacy, they'll check for you)

That certainly hasn't been my experience. Most pharmacies I've tried this with need to actually 'fill' the script and run it through insurance to get a final price. And, in the era of 'COVID-related staffing shortages', good luck calling the pharmacy and actually getting someone on the line.

The sad thing is, all these pharmacies know about GoodRx and other discount providers. They could stop playing games and just run all scripts through these providers to get a 'cash price', but they don't. It's honestly like shopping at Kohls where if you aren't stacking coupons, you're the sucker paying too much.

I don't know about Cuban's mechanics here, but a website that shows you the final price, no games/codes, is a great addition to the market.

[alphabettsy]

> The sad thing is, all these pharmacies know about GoodRx and other discount providers. They could stop playing games and just run all scripts through these providers to get a 'cash price', but they don't.

They aren’t allowed to contractually. The PBMs and insurance companies make pharmacies sign contracts that forbid them from doing this. They also forbid pharmacies from telling customers if it would be cheaper to pay cash.

Most states have only a few major insurance companies and getting caught and losing the ability to serve a large portion of clients would put most pharmacies out of business.

[unclenoriega]

> They also forbid pharmacies from telling customers if it would be cheaper to pay cash.

This is now illegal in the US.

https://www.aarp.org/health/drugs-supplements/info-2018/gag-...

[mindslight]

Prohibiting such anticompetitive cartel behavior is yet another straightforward market reform that could be implemented tomorrow, if our political process weren't merely a game between providers and "insurers".

[s1artibartfast]

Agreed. This Is I why I think it is good that someone is cutting insurance and PBMs out of the supply chain.

[alphabettsy]

They’re not being cut out though for most people.

For many or most employed people medication will be cheaper through their insurance.

[s1artibartfast]

Correct, It is not a universal fix, but a step in the right direction.

[amluto]

It seems to me that the FTC should be able to fix at least some of this.

[Scoundreller]

> It's honestly like shopping at Kohls where if you aren't stacking coupons, you're the sucker paying too much.

It’s probably the US government that’s the sucker here. Probably a rule that they have to get the “best price” and that’s probably the cash price that no human pays because they all show up with a discount card/insurance.