Insurance giant Anthem is taking the manager of its prescription drug plans to court for charging too much for certain pharmaceuticals.
The lawsuit was filed Monday against Express Scripts, a massive pharmacy benefits manager that oversees the prescription drug plan for Anthem and other insurers. The legal fight comes amid polling that finds most Americans are concerned about high prices.
Express Scripts essentially negotiates with drug companies on behalf of insurers to get lower prices for pharmaceuticals. However, Anthem said that Express Scripts priced drugs “higher than competitive benchmark pricing.”
While Congress and the public have focused their anger over prices at pharmaceutical companies, insurers have been complaining that they may be getting a raw deal from pharmacy benefit managers.
Anthem has previously expressed concern about the lack of transparency from Express Scripts, notably its negotiations to get discounts on pharmaceuticals.
The pharmacy benefits manager didn’t immediately return a request for comment.
Anthem hasn’t decided whether to sever ties with Express Scripts.
“The decision to file the lawsuit does not change the way in which members get their prescriptiosn filled or use pharmacy benefit management services,” the insurer said.
