{"id":56169,"date":"2023-04-25T02:03:12","date_gmt":"2023-04-25T00:03:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pharma-trend.com\/en\/ahf-confronts-cigna-ceo-over-pbms-rapacious-greed\/"},"modified":"2023-04-25T02:03:12","modified_gmt":"2023-04-25T00:03:12","slug":"ahf-confronts-cigna-ceo-over-pbms-rapacious-greed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pharma-trend.com\/en\/ahf-confronts-cigna-ceo-over-pbms-rapacious-greed\/","title":{"rendered":"AHF Confronts Cigna CEO over PBM\u2019s \u2018Rapacious\u2019 Greed"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p class=\"bwalignc\">\n<i>World\u2019s largest HIV\/AIDS healthcare provider sends personal letter detailing how lack of Express Scripts oversight is ripping apart nation\u2019s healthcare system<\/i><\/p>\n<p>LOS ANGELES&#8211;(BUSINESS WIRE)&#8211;AIDS Healthcare Foundation (<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/cts.businesswire.com\/ct\/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aidshealth.org%2F&amp;esheet=53386984&amp;newsitemid=20230424005992&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=AHF&amp;index=1&amp;md5=b6608933b44e2366bed1a8f255250133\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" shape=\"rect\">AHF<\/a>), the world\u2019s largest HIV\/AIDS healthcare provider, sharply criticized health care behemoth Cigna today over its management of Express Scripts, the nation\u2019s second largest Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM), which Cigna acquired in a 2018 merger. AHF\u2019s criticism comes on the heels of a so-called \u201ctransparency\u201d campaign Cigna and Express Scripts recently launched.<\/p>\n<p>\nIn a <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/cts.businesswire.com\/ct\/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aidshealth.org%2F%3Fp%3D80663&amp;esheet=53386984&amp;newsitemid=20230424005992&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=letter&amp;index=2&amp;md5=ad864a874650b6d6dd9cf55e99ccdc48\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" shape=\"rect\">letter<\/a> to Cigna CEO David Cordani, AHF President Michael Weinstein details how Cigna, through its Express Scripts PBM, <i>\u201c\u2026is ripping apart the healthcare system through its rapacious, self-serving, member-unfriendly practices\u2026\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p>\nIssues concerning AHF and hundreds of independent and mom-and-pop pharmacies nationwide include the following:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"bwlistdisc\">\n<li>\nExpress Scripts (ESI) actively drives pharmacies out of its networks through reimbursements that don\u2019t even cover a pharmacy\u2019s drug costs, let alone the costs associated with dispensing the drugs and consulting with patients. This predatory practice is contributing to the bankruptcy of independent pharmacies and to the creation of pharmacy deserts, leaving members stranded.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"bwlistdisc\">\n<li>\nESI is hopelessly conflicted \u2013 preferring to drive pharmacy benefit to its own specialty mail order pharmacy Accredo than broker honest deals with competing pharmacies. Members with chronic diseases like HIV suffer because when forced into mail order, they lose their tie with their trusted pharmacy care team member and are thrown into an anonymous service that often doesn\u2019t understand the sensitivities around serving people with HIV.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"bwlistdisc\">\n<li>\nESI operates secret, offshore entities like Ascent Health Services, apparently to negotiate sweet deals with manufacturers that only profit ESI\/Ascent.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"bwlistdisc\">\n<li>\nESI creates so-called quality performance programs, which essentially are rigged \u201cpay to play\u201d schemes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\nAHF also cautions that <i>\u201cCigna has a responsibility to bring [ESI\u2019s] greed into check,\u201d <\/i>concluding <i>\u201cIf you do not, federal and state lawmakers, regulators, the press, the public, and ultimately, members will do it for Cigna.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p>\nA concise 3-minute PBM explainer video online <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/cts.businesswire.com\/ct\/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DNhlPQOpVBTo&amp;esheet=53386984&amp;newsitemid=20230424005992&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=here&amp;index=3&amp;md5=29ada210e91771bc08c0a85504277300\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" shape=\"rect\">here<\/a> neatly distills the complex issue into easily understood language.<\/p>\n<p>\n<b>About AHF<\/b><\/p>\n<p>\n<b>AIDS Healthcare Foundation<\/b> (AHF), the world\u2019s largest HIV\/AIDS healthcare organization, provides cutting-edge medicine and advocacy to more than 1.75 million individuals in 45 countries in the US, Africa, Latin America\/Caribbean, the Asia\/Pacific Region, and Eastern Europe. To learn more about AHF, visit us online at <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/cts.businesswire.com\/ct\/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aidshealth.org%2F&amp;esheet=53386984&amp;newsitemid=20230424005992&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=AIDShealth.org&amp;index=4&amp;md5=d8a7535fbd2f9af139f73108244338ab\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" shape=\"rect\">AIDShealth.org<\/a>, find us on <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/cts.businesswire.com\/ct\/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Faidshealth&amp;esheet=53386984&amp;newsitemid=20230424005992&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=Facebook&amp;index=5&amp;md5=ebf98d26ca1e2f072608e2ce2af225cb\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" shape=\"rect\">Facebook<\/a>, follow us on <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/cts.businesswire.com\/ct\/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Faidshealthcare%2F&amp;esheet=53386984&amp;newsitemid=20230424005992&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=Instagram&amp;index=6&amp;md5=c680b73671f0f272db616d0093884eff\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" shape=\"rect\">Instagram<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/cts.businesswire.com\/ct\/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Faidshealthcare&amp;esheet=53386984&amp;newsitemid=20230424005992&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=Twitter&amp;index=7&amp;md5=da981b2261e27ba241f1785fe7f8451c\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" shape=\"rect\">Twitter<\/a>, and subscribe to our <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/cts.businesswire.com\/ct\/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fahf.org%2Fahfter-hours&amp;esheet=53386984&amp;newsitemid=20230424005992&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=Ahfter+Hours&amp;index=8&amp;md5=95e62e6a9b72268e12dccc3a00ab6224\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" shape=\"rect\"><i>Ahfter Hours<\/i><\/a> podcast.<\/p>\n<p> <b>Contacts<\/b> <\/p>\n<p>\nMEDIA CONTACTS:<br \/>\n<br \/><b>Jacki Schechner<\/b>, AHF, +1.310.633.0547 cell, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"&#x6d;&#97;&#105;&#x6c;&#x74;&#111;&#58;&#x6a;&#x61;&#99;&#107;&#x69;&#x2e;&#115;&#99;&#x68;&#x65;&#99;&#104;&#x6e;&#x65;&#114;&#64;&#x61;&#x68;&#102;&#46;&#x6f;&#x72;&#103;\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" shape=\"rect\">&#x6a;&#x61;&#x63;&#x6b;&#x69;&#x2e;&#115;&#99;&#104;&#101;chne&#x72;&#x40;&#x61;&#x68;&#x66;&#x2e;&#111;&#114;&#103;<\/a><br \/><b>Ged Kenslea<\/b>, AHF, +1.323.791.5526 cell, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"&#109;&#x61;&#105;&#x6c;&#116;&#x6f;&#58;&#x67;&#101;&#x64;&#46;&#x6b;&#101;&#x6e;&#115;&#x6c;&#101;&#x61;&#64;&#x61;&#104;&#x66;&#46;&#x6f;&#114;&#x67;\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" shape=\"rect\">&#103;&#101;&#x64;&#46;&#107;&#x65;&#x6e;s&#108;&#x65;&#x61;&#64;&#97;&#x68;f&#46;&#x6f;&#x72;g<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>World\u2019s largest HIV\/AIDS healthcare provider sends personal letter detailing how lack of Express Scripts oversight is ripping apart nation\u2019s healthcare system LOS ANGELES&#8211;(BUSINESS WIRE)&#8211;AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the world\u2019s largest HIV\/AIDS healthcare provider, sharply criticized health care behemoth Cigna today over its management of Express Scripts, the nation\u2019s second largest Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM), which &#8230; <span class=\"more\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/pharma-trend.com\/en\/ahf-confronts-cigna-ceo-over-pbms-rapacious-greed\/\">[Read more&#8230;]<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["entry","post","publish","author-business","post-56169","format-standard","category-industry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>AHF Confronts Cigna CEO over PBM\u2019s \u2018Rapacious\u2019 Greed - Pharma Trend<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pharma-trend.com\/en\/ahf-confronts-cigna-ceo-over-pbms-rapacious-greed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"AHF Confronts Cigna CEO over PBM\u2019s \u2018Rapacious\u2019 Greed - Pharma Trend\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"World\u2019s largest HIV\/AIDS healthcare provider sends personal letter detailing how lack of Express Scripts oversight is ripping apart nation\u2019s healthcare system LOS ANGELES&#8211;(BUSINESS WIRE)&#8211;AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the world\u2019s largest HIV\/AIDS healthcare provider, sharply criticized health care behemoth Cigna today over its management of Express Scripts, the nation\u2019s second largest Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM), which ... 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