Inside CVS Caremark: The Role of PBMs in Drug Costs & Access | SPONSORED

Inside CVS Caremark: The Role of PBMs in Drug Costs & Access | SPONSORED

From Health Affairs This Week by Health Affairs

June 3, 2026 · 25 min

About this episode

James Margiotta discusses the role of pharmacy benefit managers in managing drug costs and access in healthcare.

THIS SPONSORED PODCAST EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY CVS HEALTH. In this sponsored episode, James Margiotta, Chief Growth Officer at CVS Caremark, joins Health Affairs Publishing's Jessica Bylander to unpack the role of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), their impact on prescription drug costs, and the value PBMs bring to the health care system. James has nearly 35 years of experience driving innovation, operational excellence, and enterprise value across the healthcare system. In his current role, James leads the team responsible for partnering with clients to identify their unique needs and bringing forward strategic solutions to meet their objectives. Throughout his career at CVS Health, James has scaled businesses across CVS Caremark, CVS Accountable Care, Minute Clinic, Aetna, and CVS Pharmacy — each with its own challenges, cultures, and market dynamics. James and Jessica's conversation explores how PBMs help employers, health plans, governments, and unions manage rising prescription drug costs while balancing affordability, transparency, and member experience. James explains CVS Caremark’s approach to controlling costs, dives into the growing demands for price transparency…

People in this episode

Host: Jessica Bylander

Guest: James Margiotta

Topics covered

  • pharmacy benefit managers
  • drug costs
  • health care system
  • price transparency
  • artificial intelligence
  • member experience

Keywords

  • CVS Caremark
  • pharmacy benefit managers
  • drug costs
  • healthcare
  • price transparency
  • artificial intelligence
  • member navigation

Sponsors

CVS Health

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: CVS Caremark, CVS Accountable Care, Minute Clinic, Aetna, CVS Pharmacy

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