Mark Cuban’s war on America’s $5 trillion healthcare machine: ‘They can’t react as quickly’

Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban criticizes the U.S. healthcare system, particularly the opaque and inflated drug pricing driven by pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), which he says prioritize profit over patient affordability. Cuban highlights that many drug prices are set artificially high, with examples like generic chemotherapy drugs costing thousands at pharmacies but only around $21 through his company, Cost Plus Drugs. His company disrupts traditional pricing by selling medications directly to consumers at transparent costs—manufacturer’s price plus a modest markup and fees—bypassing PBMs and insurance carriers. Cuban also points to artificial drug shortages, allegedly created by manufacturers to inflate prices, and is addressing this by building a robotics-driven manufacturing plant in Dallas to quickly produce and supply drugs, especially those in short supply. Cuban’s approach challenges the entrenched healthcare system by refusing to work with PBMs or insurance companies, which he believes perpetuate inefficiencies and high costs. He contrasts his strategy with other big players like Amazon Pharmacy, which still rely on PB