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A new era of pharmacy benefit services to lower medication costs

On October 27, 2025, Express Scripts® Pharmacy Benefit Services unveiled a transparent rebate-free pharmacy benefit for lower costs and a simplified member experience.

Express Scripts® Pharmacy Benefit Services is introducing a groundbreaking contracting model for pharmacy benefit services—designed to increase predictability, lower drug costs, and simplify the member experience.

We’re introducing a transparent, streamlined contracting model that moves away from the current rebate system to a simple administration fee for our services. This approach ensures financial predictability, clear visibility into medication costs, and enhanced transparency through open-book audits and third-party validation.

Maximizing savings and patient protection

Beginning in 2028, we'll offer a new contracting model that ensures patients always pay the lowest available price for their medications at the pharmacy counter. Whether it’s their copay, our negotiated discount, or the cash price, patients will automatically be charged the lowest option—no extra steps required.

And by keeping all claims within their pharmacy benefit, members still get thousands of safety checks to help prevent drug interactions, flag allergies, and ensure medications are used correctly.

Re-imagining pharmacy benefits

The future of pharmacy benefits isn’t just about managing drug costs—it’s about restoring trust, empowering patients, and delivering real measurable health and economic value.

We will continue doing what we do best—extracting value out of the pharmaceutical supply chain and returning that to our plan sponsors and patients in the form of lower prices.

What this means for clients:

Moving away from the current rebate system toward a fee-based contracting model makes it easier to budget and plan.

Cigna Healthcare will adopt this model for its fully insured lives starting in 2027. It will become the standard model available for all Evernorth pharmacy benefits clients beginning in 2028.

A first-of-its-kind functionality that makes it easy to find, fill, and pay for prescriptions based on what matters most to members: lower cost medications, local pharmacies, and a seamless experience.

Access to robust clinical safeguards and safety checks.

Price Assure^SM is an important component of this evolved contracting model. Clients may enroll in Price Assure at any time for implementation in 2026.

Cost savings for members

Evernorth is ensuring that members pay the lowest available cost for both brand-name and generic medications, whether it is the Evernorth negotiated price, their copay, or a cash discount.

For example, if a medicine has:

An Evernorth negotiated price of $22 (70% off the list price),

A cash discount price of $20,

A drug company's "direct-to-consumer" price of $50, or

A copay of $25; the customer will pay $20, the lowest of the four options.