America’s healthcare system is infamous around the world for its high costs. The U.S. government pays far more per person on health care than any other country. On Thursday, Senate lawmakers tried to find out why that is.
They took turns questioning a panel of experts. The vast majority of the experts blamed “middlemen” called pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). The PBMs deal with drugmakers, insurance companies, pharmacies, government programs, employers, and patients. Law professor Robin Feldman says ever since PBMs started acting as middlemen, drug prices skyrocketed.