Episode
#04: The Middlemen Behind Drug Prices: What PBMs Don't Want You to Know
- Podcast
- Connected By Health
- Published
- Mar 23, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2249
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://connectedbyhealthpodcast.com/
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/connected-by-health-7781874/episodes/04-the-middlemen-behind-drug-prices-what-pbms-don-t-want-you-to-know/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/connected-by-health-7781874/04-the-middlemen-behind-drug-prices-what-pbms-don-t-want-you-to-know.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
Why Your Prescriptions Cost So Much: A Pharmacist Explains PBMs Why does the same medication cost dramatically less in other countries while Americans are stuck choosing between prescriptions and rent? In this episode of Connected by Health , Dr. Krishna Vedala sits down with Alexander Vedala, a licensed pharmacist and CEO of Sooner Pharmacy and Compassionate Care Pharmacy, to expose what's really driving prescription drug prices in the U.S. and why patients feel trapped inside a system that's supposed to protect them. As Alexander puts it, PBMs were "supposed to help reduce cost to medications"… but the incentives got "tainted." You'll hear a behind-the-counter breakdown of the biggest cost drivers, including: PBMs (pharmacy benefit managers) as the "middleman" gatekeepers between manufacturers and insurers Rebates that don't reach patients : "They don't pass that through to the patient." Spread pricing : the insurer sees one price, the pharmacy gets another "and they're pocketing that money." Steering patients to mail-order through higher copays at local pharmacies (often owned by the PBM) Why independent pharmacies are being squeezed, especially in rural communities where access is already fragile And yes, they talk real numbers and real human impact. Alexander shares a personal story that brings the entire issue into sharp focus: "My youngest son has type one diabetes… and that's just not affordable for a lot of people." This isn't just a rant about what's broken. It's a roadmap for what could change. You'll hear actionable reform ideas, including: Moving toward transparent "cost-plus" pricing (and what Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Drugs gets right) Eliminating or reducing prior authorizations that delay care Rebuilding incentives so drug pricing isn't driven by profit f…