NPR.

What's even more painful than higher prices for gas or groceries?

How about higher prices for medicine?

For years before inflation became an everyday household word, prices for prescription drugs

in the US have been steadily rising.

And not only that, according to the RAN Corporation, Americans pay more for prescription

brand name drugs than people in other countries, as much as 2.5 to 3.5 times as much.

It's gotten bad enough that federal lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are promising

to do something about it.

This past weekend, Democratic Senators passed the Inflation Reduction Act, and that included

provisions to lower the cost of drugs for people on Medicare and Medicaid.

And on top of that, lawmakers and regulators have set their sights on an obscure but very

influential player in the prescription drug pipeline.

They're called Pharmacy Benefit Managers.

This is the Interquitive Replanet Money.

I'm Adrian Ma.

And I'm Daryl Mwoods.

Today on the show, what the heck are Pharmacy Benefit Managers?

And why do they have so much power in the current Pharmaceutical Drug Marketplace?

The answer involves secret deals, double agents, and misaligned incentives.

This message comes from NPR-sponsor CultureL.

CultureL digestive daily probiotics are designed to be great for your gut, and a happy gut

...