The news: UnitedHealth Group’s pharmacy benefit manager Optum Rx will increase how much pharmacies get reimbursed for dispensing brand-name drugs.
Digging into the details: Optum Rx didn’t specify the formula it will use to modify its reimbursement system, but noted that the change will make it more feasible for pharmacies to stock expensive brand-name drugs.
Optum said these changes—set to be fully implemented by 2028—will positively impact pharmacies unaffiliated with the PBM, including thousands of independent pharmacies.