Why Are Drug Prices So High? We’re Curious, Too<br />Our reporting journey has turned up some counterintuitive stories, like how insurance companies sometimes require patients to take brand-name drugs —<br />and refuse to cover generic alternatives — even when that means patients have to pay more out of pocket.<br />As a “lower cost alternative,” OptumRx, which is owned by UnitedHealth Group, suggested she try painkillers like OxyContin,<br />according to a letter she shared with us, even though they carry a higher risk of abuse and dependence.<br />But these stories — about patients who believed their insurers were placing roadblocks in the way of less risky painkillers — felt new to us.<br />Surveys have shown that high drug prices rank near the top of consumers’ health care concerns,<br />and politicians in both parties — including President Trump — have vowed to do something about it.<br />“The whole point of pain management is to take the least amount of medication possible to manage your pain, so<br />that you always have somewhere to go when the pain increases or changes,” she wrote to us.
