UnitedHealth To Overhaul Payment Model To Support Independent Pharmacies

On Thursday, UnitedHealth Group Inc‘s (NYSE:UNH) Optum Rx will align payment models more closely to the costs pharmacies may face due to manufacturer pricing actions.

The company plans a full implementation by January 2028.

In February, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to strengthen price transparency regulations in the industry.

The order directs federal agencies, including the Departments of Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services, to enforce and expand a 2019 rule requiring hospitals and insurers to publicly disclose the actual costs of medical services.

This change will positively impact Optum Rx’s non-affiliated network pharmacies, including the more than 24,000 independent community pharmacies.

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“Pharmacies and pharmacists provide important care to patients, and we recognize that increasing drug prices make it hard for them ...