In an effort to lift the veil of secrecy on pharmacy spending, the Washington Health Alliance hosted a forum in May that helped shed light on where millions of healthcare dollars are going.

The forum offered a unique opportunity to gain previously unknown insights into spread pricing, a practice where the difference between the list price of a drug and the amount a pharmacy benefits manager (PBM) reimburses the pharmacy can be substantial.

Antonio Ciaccia, president of 3 Axis Advisors and CEO of 46Brooklyn Research, presented some groundbreaking findings on pharmacy drug pricing and reimbursement in Washington state.

Learn more and watch forum highlights.

Earlier this month, the Alliance released its first-ever report on hospital pricing levels in Washington state.

The analysis, leveraging data from 2.2 million commercially insured lives across the state, reveals the uneven landscape of hospital pricing in Washington. We found hospital price levels for commercial insurance were anywhere from 150% to 500% more than Medicare rates. On average, commercial insurance pays 288% of what Medicare pays.  

What does this mean? For services provided in hospitals in Washington, when Medicare pays $1, commercial insurance pays an average of $2.88. 

Our members and supporters can be the best ambassadors for our work. If you know someone who would like to learn more about membership in the Alliance, contact Denise Giambalvo, Director of Member Engagement & Business Strategy, at dgiambalvo@wahealthalliance.org.