Key takeaways
- 7.7% lower member prescription cost share in 2025 despite increasing drug prices.¹
- $2,077 saved per member in a commercial plan through Express Scripts price negotiations.¹
- 14.4% net member share of prescription costs after negotiated pricing.¹
- Three straight years of declining member prescription cost share.¹
- New annual reports will make pharmacy savings more transparent for eligible members.
As prescription drug prices continue to climb, employers need to do more than just manage their pharmacy spending. They also need to help save their employees money at the pharmacy counter. Express Scripts Pharmacy Benefits Services has a proven track record of lowering member out-of-pocket costs while helping employers and plan sponsors navigate growing demand for plan affordability, cost transparency, and access.
“Our focus is on helping employers deliver meaningful savings to employees and covered family members while making pharmacy benefits easier to understand and use,” said Ashley Holzworth-Nash, Pharm D, head of product strategy and solutions at Evernorth. “When people can see how negotiated pricing lowers their out-of-pocket costs, it increases transparency and reinforces the value of the benefits employers provide.”
Driving affordability through greater member prescription savings
Many employers are now looking beyond traditional pharmacy benefit measures and increasingly evaluate how effectively their benefits and solutions help employees save on prescription medications. Recent Evernorth employer data found that employee affordability is a key priority for future benefits strategy, and a recent survey conducted by the Penta Group found that 96% of employers believe their employees should pay the lowest available prescription price.
Express Scripts helps address these challenges with measurable member savings. In 2025, despite increasing prescription drug prices, member cost share declined by 7.7%.1
- Express Scripts directly negotiated an average of $2,077 in savings per member per year in a commercial plan (an increase from $1,918 in 2024). 1
- Members paid only 14.4% of net prescription costs (after negotiated pricing, discounts, and other cost-savings programs were applied). 1
In fact, Express Scripts negotiated pricing resulted in member cost share declining for three consecutive years.
Source: 2025 Commercial Book of Business data
Making prescription drug savings more transparent for members
Behind every statistic are real choices and tradeoffs patients face when prescription drugs are part of their treatment plans. But savings only deliver their full value when members understand where those savings come from and how their pharmacy benefits help reduce costs.
Making our role clearer for those we serve is a key step in improving transparency and understanding in health care today. In 2026, members who had five or more prescription fills in 2025 will be able to access a personalized annual report that details the cumulative savings from price reductions negotiated by Express Scripts, along with plan coverage and discounts from participating cost-savings programs, across all of their prescribed medications.
New transparency reports show members how plan-negotiated pricing and cost-savings programs reduce their out-of-pocket pharmacy costs
Example: A person managing Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and chronic kidney disease with Jardiance, Ozempic, and Lisinopril — enrolled in a plan that covers 80% of prescription costs and participates in the Patient Assurance Program.*
Example: An average individual enrolled in a high-deductible health plan (HDHP) who has at least five prescription fills in 2025 and is not filling specialty medications or GLP-1 prescriptions.*
*Actual average 2025 pharmacy savings based on an Evernorth 2026 analysis of claims from all Express Scripts members that fit this description. Individual savings reports will vary based on plan design and individual contributions.
Building a more affordable and predictable pharmacy benefit experience
Express Scripts lowers out-of-pocket costs and increases member savings over time. For employers, this means delivering greater value to employees while maintaining more predictable pharmacy spend. For members, even as drug prices continue to increase, it means paying less than they would without a PBM.
Together, these results reflect a shift in how pharmacy benefits are designed and delivered, with a growing focus on transparency, simplicity, and real-time visibility into costs. This approach aligns with evolving employer expectations and supports a more sustainable model for managing pharmacy benefits.
“Pharmacy benefits are continuing to evolve toward models that are simpler, more transparent, and easier for employers to manage over time,” said Holzworth-Nash. “By connecting negotiated savings more directly to what covered members pay at the pharmacy and making those savings easier to understand and utilize, we can bring greater predictability to costs and help employers plan with more confidence.”
Frequently asked questions
1 Based on an analysis of Express Scripts 2025 commercial book of business representing a population of approximately 24 million lives drawn from commercial employer and health plan clients with stable populations and a pharmacy benefit plan administered by Express Scripts.
Express Scripts Pharmacy Benefit Services Member Experience focuses on supporting members every step of the way by putting more control and choice in their hands—making it easier for them to compare options, manage costs and access the medications they need. Our commitment to innovation is unmatched. We’re continuously evolving the pharmacy benefit experience—doing more, moving faster, and delivering greater value every single day.
