How Drug Benefit Design Trends Are Expected to Impact Pharmacists
Morgan Lee, PhD, MPH, CPH, and Scott Halperin, PharmD, from the Pharmaceutical Strategies Group, discuss the 2025 Trends in Drug Benefit Design Report and how it will impact pharmacists.
According to the Pharmaceutical Strategies Group (PSG) 2025 Trends in Drug Benefit Design Report,1 70% of payer groups that design prescription drug benefits are considering changes to their cost-sharing arrangements. For retail and community pharmacists, this could mean added complexity to patients’ understanding of drug costs, as well as present greater challenges regarding pharmacy reimbursement.
“That's a pretty jarring number,” said Scott Halperin, PharmD, senior pharmacy benefit clinical consultant of employer groups at PSG. “Seventy percent of plans are considering cost-sharing changes, and that could come in the form of increased copays, increased coinsurances, increased deductibles, potentially a separate tier for lifestyle drugs, potentially preferred networks. That all adds complexity to the pharmacist’s job behind the counter.”
In a recent interview with Drug Topics, Halperin and Morgan Lee, PhD, MPH, CPH, PSG’s senior director of research and strategy, presented their findings and insights into the annual Trends in Drug Benefit Design Report. Exploring how it will impact both patients and pharmacists, Halperin and Lee discussed the importance of the 2025 report and how its contents may inform several entities within the drug supply chain.
Watch part 1 of our interview with Halperin and Lee, who discussed how the 2025 report highlights a change in the pharmaceutical industry, paving the way for both challenges and opportunities to come. Learn about the current trends in drug benefit design that are almost bound to impact pharmacists of all practice types.
READ MORE: The Potential Impact Pharmaceutical Tariffs May Have on Pharmacies
Ready to impress your pharmacy colleagues with the latest drug information, industry trends, and patient care tips? Sign up today for our free Drug Topics newsletter.
