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Podcast: Hope Charities
Episode: Healthcare in Crisis: The Truth About PBMs with Dr. Madelaine Feldman
Description: Dr. Mattie Feldman, rheumatologist and healthcare policy expert, exposes how Pharmacy Benefit Managers have evolved from administrative entities into powerful forces that control medication access, often prioritizing profits over patients.• Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) originally handled prescription coverage but now control what medications doctors can prescribe and patients can access• The "big three" PBMs—CVS Caremark, OptumRx, and Express Scripts—now control 80-85% of all prescriptions in the United States• PBMs often prefer higher-priced medications because they generate larger rebates, contributing to rising drug costs• Vertical integration has created conflicts of interest where the same compani...