The New York Times has been investigating the opaque practices of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs), highlighting their significant impact on drug pricing in the United States. PBMs, which include major players like CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, and OptumRx, have been criticized for inflating prescription drug prices, delaying or preventing patients from accessing medications, and pushing patients to use their own pharmacies. In some cases, patients suffer serious health consequences due to these practices. The modern PBM model emerged in 2018 when health insurers like Aetna and Cigna merged with PBMs to meet Wall Street's growth demands. Instances of overcharging have been documented, such as CVS charging Oklahoma $138,000 annually for a drug that could be procured for $14,000 through online wholesalers like the one created by Mark Cuban. Additionally, patients have faced issues such as being forced to pay for more expensive brand-name drugs like Symbicort instead of generics. The issue has gained political traction, but meaningful reform is unlikely without addressing the financial interests of unions and large health plan sponsors who benefit from rebates.