Three major companies control 80% of the prescription-drug market: Optum, ExpressScripts, and CVS Caremark. These companies leverage their dominance to engage in practices like “patient steering,” which is requiring patients to fill prescriptions at their pharmacies, even when it’s less convenient. “Spread pricing” is another tactic, whereby PBMs reimburse pharmacies […]

Deborah Leedahl, owner of the pharmacy and gift shop in downtown Elk River, told the Star News there were a lot of factors that went into the decision to close, but the primary reason is pharmacy benefit managers who have been chipping away at her profits for years. The last

Internal documents and former company executives reveal how Cigna doctors reject patients’ claims without opening their files. “We literally click and submit,” one former company doctor said.