The Pharmacy Benefit Game Is Rigged — Here’s How to Beat It (ft. Rachel Strauss)

The pharmacy benefit world is broken — and it’s costing employers millions while pushing families into medical debt.
In this eye-opening episode of the Disrupt Healthcare Podcast, Lester Morales is joined by Rachel Strauss, founder & CEO of PBM Princess Consulting and one of the most outspoken pharmacy reform advocates in the country.

After 23 years inside a major PBM, Rachel has seen every angle of how drugs are priced, discounted, rebated, repackaged, and marked up — often leaving patients confused, employers overcharged, and advisors in the dark.

Together, Lester and Rachel unpack:

• Why 5% of members drive 80–90% of pharmacy spend
• How fully insured carriers inflate drug prices in reporting
• The truth about rebates and why they almost never benefit employers
• Why employers are told “there’s nothing you can do” — even when there absolutely IS

• International sourcing (Canada, Israel, UK, NZ)
• 340B pharmacy partnerships
• Patient assistance programs
• Medication recycling (90% cost reduction)
• How Rachel saved a Texas city 60% on their top 7 drugs within 30 days

Rachel breaks down why this exploding class of drugs is the single biggest threat to employer healthcare budgets — and how to prepare before 2030 hits.

Rachel and Lester share the emotional stories behind their work — from medical bankruptcy to life-saving treatments — and why pharmacy reform isn’t just financial… it’s deeply personal.

If you are an employer, advisor, HR leader, or healthcare innovator, this conversation will completely shift how you think about pharmacy benefits and what’s possible.

🔥 What PBMs don’t want employers to know💊 Real pharmacy strategies that work — today⚠️ The GLP-1 Problem (Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro)❤️ Why this matters: the human impact