Mark Cuban proposes five transparency-driven steps to lower U.S. drug costs

During a September hearing, Mark Cuban argued that the prevalence of insured consumers opting for his Cost Plus Drugs pharmacy shows that insurance pricing is often higher than cash prices, indicating a broken system. He outlined five reforms: let patients use the lowest-cost option without losing deductible credit; require uniform, short contracts for pharmacy benefit managers, which currently dominate 80% of drug claims; force Medicare, Medicaid and other public payers to disclose all pricing components; eliminate confidentiality clauses that prevent employers from comparing plans; and strengthen enforcement with steep fines for repeat offenders.

Cuban labeled the hidden terms in PBM agreements as “contractual terrorism” and supplied a template contract for local governments. He noted recent collaborations with TrumpRx, Amazon Pharmacy and GoodRx, and expressed support for the bipartisan Break Up Big Medicine Act championed by Senators Josh Hawley and Elizabeth Warren.