Libby Baney Burstein Discusses Risks Associated with PBM Cost-Containment Strategies in Modern Healthcare

Libby Baney Burstein spoke with Modern Healthcare about the risks associated with pharmacy benefit managers’ cost-containment strategies for employer-sponsored health plans, such as alternative funding models and international drug sourcing, which are increasingly promoted as ways to reduce prescription drug spending.

The article notes that some pharmacy benefit managers are directing members to select pharmacies in other countries to obtain lower-cost medications, an approach that has emerged despite legal restrictions on international prescription drug sourcing.

Burstein cautioned that these strategies can carry significant legal risks and create barriers to medication access. “Routing patients into opaque programs, delaying access to therapy, or pushing them to get medicines outside the safe, regulated U.S. drug supply chain is bad for beneficiaries,” Burstein asserted.

The full article is available to Modern Healthcare subscribers.