If her co-pay is $10 that means her insurance company is picking up the rest. So she could have paid $4 and ended it, but instead, she pays $10, her insurance company pays whatever, the PBM gets their kickback, and the pharmacist makes less than if he'd simply charged her a cash price.
It's so crooked. I remember years ago talking to an older lady who desperately needed a prescription filled but the pharmacist refused to sell it to her because it was $300 and he thought that was outrageous. She said she was so desperate, she would have paid it if he hadn't interfered.
Later, I found out she got that same prescription filled for $21. There is so much cluckery in the pharmacy business, it's outrageous.
If her co-pay is $10 that means her insurance company is picking up the rest. So she could have paid $4 and ended it, but instead, she pays $10, her insurance company pays whatever, the PBM gets their kickback, and the pharmacist makes less than if he'd simply charged her a cash price.
It's so crooked. I remember years ago talking to an older lady who desperately needed a prescription filled but the pharmacist refused to sell it to her because it was $300 and he thought that was outrageous. She said she was so desperate, she would have paid it if he hadn't interfered.
Later, I found out she got that same prescription filled for $21. There is so much cluckery in the pharmacy business, it's outrageous.
Any big blue city, the pharmacies are closing shop. Good riddance
More from Joe Rogan's youtube channel -
Former Pharma Rep on Health Insurance Corruption and Pharmacies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nloxR3XpgaE
Searched his channel for PBM:
https://www.youtube.com/@joerogan/search?query=pbm
What to know about the drug price fight in those TV ads
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/07/07/1186317498/pharmacy-benefit-manager-pbm-ads-congress