Mark Cuban, co-founder of Cost Plus Drugs Co., and Optum CEO Patrick Conway, MD, sparred over drug prices, pharmacy benefit managers and a range of other healthcare issues during a Dec. 16 conversation in Washington, D.C. hosted by Johns Hopkins University.
There was very little common ground to be found among arguably two of the most influential executives within the broad pharmacy services industry, though both acknowledged the other’s contributions to improving drug affordability.
The hour-long discussion, moderated by Ge Bai, PhD, an accounting and health policy professor at Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins, touched on rebate pass-through policies, contract transparency, and independent pharmacy reimbursement.
Dr. Conway and Mr. Cuban diverged on a number of issues throughout the conversation, nowhere more clearly than in how they would each rewrite national healthcare policy.
“Break up the big insurance companies,” Mr. Cuban said. “Can’t own PBMs. Can’t own providers. Can’t own their own technology. Make them all independent companies.”