Employers are looking to offset gene therapy costs

Gene therapies and other million-dollar medications are increasingly coming on the market — and employers are bracing. A new survey finds that the largest U.S. employers are working to keep those expenses in check, which could end up delaying workers’ access, STAT’s Ed Silverman writes.

For example, 44% of the 122 respondents plan to delay placing costly drugs on their formularies for a set amount of time — until a PBM vets their safety and efficacy. This is something employers have done for a while, but the trend’s up 26% from last year. Employers are also considering stop-loss insurance — which translates to providing coverage only up to a certain price.