Empowering Choice to Help You Save on Prescriptions
By Vinny Catalano, Founder & CEO, CLEAR Healthcare Solutions
Clip of Ferrin Williams, PharmD, MBA, Chief Pharmacy Officer at Scripta Insights shares insights on reducing drug costs.
Tune into the CLEARly Beneficial podcast with your host, Vinny Catalano, and guest, Ferrin Williams. Listen on Buzzsprout, Substack, YouTube or any of your favorite podcast channels.
As an employer, you’ve probably invested significant time and money into selecting the right pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) for your health plan. You’ve negotiated formularies, reviewed rebate structures, and implemented cost-sharing strategies. But here’s a question most employers never think to ask: Are your employees actually finding the best prices for their prescriptions?
The uncomfortable truth is that most employees simply fill their prescriptions at their usual pharmacy, pay whatever the PBM-negotiated price happens to be, and never know they could have saved hundreds or even thousands of dollars by looking elsewhere.
In Episode 7 of The CLEARly Beneficial Podcast, I sat down with Ferrin Williams, PharmD, MBA, Chief Pharmacy Officer at Scripta Insights, to discuss a solution that’s helping employees save money on prescriptions without requiring employers to blow up their existing PBM relationships: pharmacy navigation tools.
The Prescription Pricing Problem Nobody Talks About
Ferrin brings a unique perspective to this conversation. With a PharmD and MBA from the University of Oklahoma, she’s worked in retail pharmacy operations, served in leadership roles at a startup PBM, and spent years as a pharmacy consultant for large self-funded plan sponsors at Lockton Companies. Now at Scripta Insights, she’s helping employers optimize pharmacy benefits through comparison shopping tools.
“Most employees have no idea that the same prescription can have dramatically different prices depending on where they fill it,” Ferrin explained during our conversation. “They get a prescription from their doctor, head to their usual pharmacy, and pay whatever price they’re quoted. They never think to comparison shop for prescriptions the way they would for any other product.”
This is where pharmacy navigation tools come in. Unlike traditional PBM solutions that require employers to switch vendors or restructure their entire pharmacy benefit, navigation tools work alongside existing PBMs to help employees find better prices.
“Scripta provides a comparison shopping tool that operates within your current PBM structure,” Ferrin shared. “We’re not asking you to change vendors. We’re simply helping your employees see all their options and make informed decisions about where to fill their prescriptions.”
The Mark Cuban Connection: Real Savings for Real People
One of the most innovative aspects of Scripta’s approach is their partnership with Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs, an online pharmacy that offers transparent pricing on medications.
Ferrin got personal during our discussion, sharing her own experience: “I used Cost Plus Drugs myself for one of my prescriptions, and the savings were significant. It’s one thing to talk about these tools theoretically, but when you experience the savings firsthand, you really understand the value.”
Cost Plus Drugs operates on a simple principle: buy medications directly from manufacturers, add a flat 15% markup, plus a $3 dispensing fee, and pass the savings to consumers. No rebates, no spread pricing, no games—just transparent pricing that often undercuts traditional pharmacy channels by 70% or more.
But Cost Plus Drugs is just one option in the comparison shopping toolkit. The real power of pharmacy navigation tools is that they help employees evaluate all available channels—retail pharmacies, mail order, Cost Plus Drugs, and other alternatives—to find the best price for their specific situation.
Understanding PBMs: The Foundation of Pharmacy Benefits
Before we can fully appreciate the role of pharmacy navigation tools, we need to understand what PBMs actually do.
“PBMs process and adjudicate prescription drug claims for employer health plans,” Ferrin explained. “They manage the formulary—which is the list of covered medications—negotiate with pharmacies and drug manufacturers, and help employers control their pharmacy spend.”
The challenge is that PBMs, while valuable, operate within constraints. They negotiate rates with pharmacy networks, manage rebates from manufacturers, and make decisions about which medications to cover and at what cost-sharing levels. But they don’t always help individual employees find the absolute lowest price for their specific prescriptions.
“Physician prescribing practices have improved with electronic medical records that check formulary status,” Ferrin noted. “But gaps still exist. A doctor might prescribe a medication that’s technically covered but has a high copay, when a therapeutic alternative might be available for much less.”
This is precisely the gap that pharmacy navigation tools are designed to fill.
The Hidden Costs of Brand Protection Strategies
During our conversation, Ferrin and I dove deep into how drug manufacturers protect their brand names and patents—strategies that can lead to unnecessarily high costs for employers and employees.
“Drug manufacturers use various tactics to extend patent protection and keep generic alternatives off the market,” Ferrin explained. “They might make minor formulation changes, combine two existing drugs, or use patent thickets to create barriers to generic competition.”
These strategies have real financial consequences. A brand-name medication might cost $500 per month, while a therapeutically equivalent generic costs $20. But if employees don’t know about the alternative, they’ll pay the higher price.
Pharmacy navigation tools address this by actively alerting employees to lower-cost alternatives and helping them have informed conversations with their physicians about switching medications when appropriate.
“The key is education and empowerment,” Ferrin emphasized. “We’re not telling people what to do. We’re giving them information so they can make informed decisions in consultation with their healthcare providers.”
The GLP-1 Tsunami: Managing the Newest Cost Driver
One of the most pressing topics we discussed was the explosion of GLP-1 medications—drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy that were initially approved for diabetes but are now widely used for weight loss.
“Sixty percent of self-funded employers now cover GLP-1s for weight loss,” Ferrin shared. “These medications can cost $1,000 to $1,500 per month, and they represent a significant cost driver for employer health plans.”
The challenge with GLP-1 medications is that they’re genuinely effective—they help with weight loss, which can lead to improved employee health and productivity. But they’re also expensive and often require long-term use.
“Employers need strategies for managing these costs,” Ferrin explained. “That might include step therapy requirements, limiting coverage to employees with specific BMI thresholds or comorbidities, or implementing lifestyle modification programs alongside medication coverage.”
But GLP-1s aren’t the only specialty medications driving up costs. We also discussed PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention) and other specialty drugs that, while clinically valuable, represent significant line items in pharmacy budgets.
“The key is to monitor and manage pharmacy costs across all categories,” Ferrin emphasized. “You can’t just focus on one area. You need a comprehensive approach to pharmacy benefit optimization.”
The Evolution of Drug Pricing: When Medications Become Affordable
Not all the news about prescription drug pricing is bad. Ferrin and I discussed how certain medications have become dramatically more affordable over time due to generic alternatives or changes in formulation.
“Multiple sclerosis treatments are a great example,” Ferrin shared. “We’ve seen significant cost reductions in some MS medications as generics have come to market. These are drugs that used to cost tens of thousands of dollars per year, and now they’re available for a fraction of that price.”
The challenge is helping employees know when these changes happen. A patient might have been prescribed a medication five years ago when it was brand-name only, and they’re still dutifully paying the high price without realizing a generic alternative now exists.
“This is another area where pharmacy navigation tools add value,” Ferrin explained. “We can proactively alert members when lower-cost alternatives become available for their existing prescriptions.”
Why Employees Don’t Comparison Shop for Prescriptions
One of the most striking insights from our conversation was about employee behavior during open enrollment.
“Employees typically spend very little time reviewing their health benefit options during open enrollment,” I noted. “They might spend more time choosing what to watch on Netflix than reviewing their health insurance selections.”
Ferrin agreed, adding that prescription coverage is often an afterthought: “People focus on medical premiums, deductibles, and whether their doctor is in-network. They don’t think about pharmacy benefits until they’re standing at the pharmacy counter with a prescription and a high price tag.”
This is why passive education isn’t enough. Pharmacy navigation tools need to meet employees at the point of care—when they’re actually filling a prescription—and provide real-time guidance about their options.
“The best time to educate someone about prescription costs is when they’re about to pay for a prescription,” Ferrin emphasized. “That’s when the information is relevant and actionable.”
The Value Proposition: Cost Reduction and Member Satisfaction
Throughout our conversation, Ferrin was careful to emphasize that pharmacy navigation tools deliver value in two ways: they reduce costs for employers and they improve the experience for members.
“When members can save money on their prescriptions, they’re happier with their benefits,” Ferrin explained. “It’s a win-win. The employer reduces pharmacy spend, and employees feel empowered and supported.”
This dual value proposition is critical. Too often, cost-containment strategies in healthcare feel adversarial—like the employer is trying to limit access to care. But pharmacy navigation tools actually expand choice by showing employees options they didn’t know existed.
“We’re not restricting anything,” Ferrin clarified. “We’re showing people all their options and helping them make informed decisions. If they still want to use their usual pharmacy, that’s their choice. But at least they know what they’re paying and why.”
Working Within Your Existing System
Perhaps the most important insight from our conversation is that pharmacy navigation tools don’t require employers to overhaul their existing pharmacy benefits structure.
“You don’t need to fire your PBM or change your entire formulary,” Ferrin emphasized. “Scripta works alongside your existing PBM. We’re an additional layer of support that helps employees get better outcomes within the system you already have.”
This is a crucial distinction. Many pharmacy benefit innovations require employers to make major changes—switching PBMs, moving to a different network, or restructuring their entire benefits approach. Pharmacy navigation tools are different because they’re additive, not disruptive.
“Think of it as adding a GPS to your car,” Ferrin suggested. “The car still works the same way, but now you have better guidance about how to reach your destination.”
The Future of Pharmacy Benefits
As we wrapped up our conversation, Ferrin and I discussed the broader trends shaping pharmacy benefits—from gene therapies that might cure diseases with one-time treatments costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, to ongoing legal challenges around drug pricing and patent protection.
“The pharmacy benefit landscape is evolving rapidly,” Ferrin observed. “New medications are coming to market, generic alternatives are emerging for previously brand-only drugs, and pricing strategies are becoming more transparent. Employers need tools and partners who can help them navigate this complexity.”
One thing is clear: the traditional approach of simply selecting a PBM and hoping for the best is no longer sufficient. Employers need to actively manage their pharmacy benefits, educate their employees, and leverage tools that empower members to make informed decisions.
Key Takeaways for Employers
If you’re looking to optimize your pharmacy benefits and help employees save on prescriptions, here are the essential points to remember:
- Pharmacy navigation tools work alongside PBMs – You don’t need to change vendors to add this capability
- Comparison shopping delivers real savings – The same prescription can have drastically different prices at different pharmacies
- Cost Plus Drugs and similar options offer transparency – Direct-to-consumer pharmacies with transparent pricing can significantly reduce costs
- Education is critical – Employees need guidance at the point of care, not just during open enrollment
- GLP-1s and specialty medications require active management – These high-cost drugs are becoming more prevalent and need specific strategies
- Generic alternatives are constantly emerging – Proactive monitoring can identify savings opportunities for existing prescriptions
- Member satisfaction matters – Cost reduction strategies that empower employees create better outcomes than those that feel restrictive
Listen to the Full Episode
This article captures the highlights, but there’s much more depth in the full conversation—including specific cost savings examples, Ferrin’s career journey from retail pharmacy to PBM leadership, and her perspective on emerging therapies.
Listen to Episode 7 of The CLEARly Beneficial Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes drop weekly.
If you’re a benefits broker or consultant looking to level up your expertise on pharmacy benefit optimization and other innovative strategies, stay tuned for details about the Clear Benefits Academy launching in 2026.
About Ferrin Williams
Ferrin Williams, PharmD, MBA, serves as Chief Pharmacy Officer at Scripta Insights, where she drives the design and execution of clinical strategies that empower self-insured employers and health plans to deliver the right medications at the best value for their members. With over 15 years of experience spanning retail pharmacy operations, PBM leadership, and benefits consulting for large self-funded plan sponsors, Ferrin brings a unique combination of clinical expertise and strategic business acumen to pharmacy benefit optimization.
Her career journey includes leadership roles at a startup PBM and extensive consulting experience at Lockton Companies, where she worked with major employers to optimize their pharmacy benefits. Ferrin holds a PharmD and MBA from the University of Oklahoma. Her personal experience using innovative pharmacy solutions like Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs gives her firsthand insight into the real-world impact of pharmacy navigation tools on patients and plan members.
About Vinny Catalano and the CLEARly Beneficial Podcast
Vinny Catalano is the founder of CLEAR Healthcare Solutions, a consulting firm specializing in medical practice improvement, employee benefit strategy, point solution go-to-market strategy, and healthcare education. With over 22 years of experience working across the healthcare ecosystem—from health systems and insurers to medical groups and point solution providers—Catalano brings deep industry relationships and fresh perspectives to healthcare’s most pressing challenges.
The CLEARly Beneficial podcast rips off the band-aid on healthcare and explores the future of benefits with industry innovators. The show takes a solution-oriented approach to healthcare challenges, featuring conversations with healthcare CEOs, authors, innovators, and leaders driving positive change. New episodes are released weekly on all major podcast platforms.
For more information, visit www.clearhcs.com or connect with Vinny Catalano on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/vcatalano.