Why We Really Don’t Need Mark Cuban: The Case for Pharmacy Cost Transparency and Marketplace Choice
Michael Mann, MHA
Founder, CEO, Producer - Host: Planetary Health First Mars Next | Community Builder | Business Development | Marketing
Why We Really Don’t Need Mark Cuban: The Case for Pharmacy Cost Transparency and Marketplace Choice
Mark Cuban’s entry into the healthcare space with the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company has been hailed as a disruptor to the status quo. His model promises to lower prescription drug prices by cutting out traditional middlemen—pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs)—and passing on savings directly to consumers. On the surface, this sounds like a game-changer. But is it really?
The truth is, we don’t need a billionaire stepping in as a new kind of middleman to solve a problem that could be addressed with transparency, competition, and a commitment to making healthcare a right for all Americans. Day 1, we could implement laws that make this vision a reality, bypassing the need for any single individual or company to "save" the system.
The PBM Problem: A System in Need of Reform
Pharmacy Benefit Managers control a staggering $589 billion global market, with the top three players—CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, and OptumRx—dominating 79% of the U.S. market. These entities negotiate drug prices with manufacturers, set formularies, and determine out-of-pocket costs for patients. While PBMs claim to save money for consumers, their lack of transparency often leads to inflated prices and misaligned incentives.
UnitedHealth Group, for instance, reported $226.6 billion in revenue in 2023 from its Optum segment alone. This shows just how entrenched PBMs are in the healthcare ecosystem, controlling not just pricing but access to medications.
Mark Cuban: A Band-Aid, Not a Cure
Cuban’s model bypasses PBMs by selling generic drugs at a fixed markup. While this approach may provide short-term relief for some consumers, it doesn’t address the systemic issues that allow PBMs to dominate in the first place. Cuban’s company is simply a new player in a broken system, rather than a true disruptor.
The real innovation would be a healthcare system where cost transparency and marketplace choice eliminate the need for middlemen altogether. Cuban’s approach, while noble in its intentions, doesn’t go far enough to dismantle the opaque practices that drive up costs across the board.
The Real Solution: Transparency and Choice
Imagine a healthcare system where:
Such a system wouldn’t require a Mark Cuban or any other intermediary. It would empower patients to make informed decisions, lower costs across the board, and ensure that healthcare works for all Americans—not just those who can afford it.
Day 1: A New Healthcare Vision
On Day 1, lawmakers could pass legislation to:
This isn’t a pipe dream—it’s a practical solution that puts power back into the hands of patients and providers. Healthcare should be a right, not a privilege, and fixing the pharmacy system is a critical step toward that goal.
Why We Don’t Need Mark Cuban
Mark Cuban’s efforts highlight the failures of the current system, but they also underscore the fact that we don’t need a single savior to fix healthcare. What we need is bold, systemic reform that prioritizes transparency, competition, and fairness.
By addressing the root causes of high drug prices, we can make healthcare work for all Americans—no middlemen required. Let’s make Day 1 the start of a new era in healthcare, where transparency and choice reign supreme.
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6dInsightful! The reality of this situation is that States are suffering from MediCaid expansion and a cheaper pill is not going to solve anything. We need mandates in place that require Health Plans that gain lucrative State and Federal funded healthcare contracts be required to build hospitals and clinics to provide access to healthcare and not just a meaningless wallet sized healthcare insurance card that only provides phone numbers and websites without any connection to a “True” network of providers. BTW we see and call the health plans listed on these cards everyday in our overwhelmed hospitals and the Health Plans don’t GIF. #casemanager #nurses2tech