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Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Getting the latest healthcare news for you
As pharmacy costs keep climbing, Employers Health and Judi Health are joining forces to launch StarkRx, a cost-plus pharmacy benefit model built for self-funded employers. The new offering promises greater pricing transparency and modular specialty drug management — a direct response to projected 8.2% healthcare cost increases in 2027. GLP-1s and high-cost therapies are among the biggest cost drivers pushing employers to seek alternatives to legacy PBMs.
Employers Health and Judi Health are teaming up to launch StarkRx, a new cost-plus pharmacy benefit model designed to give self-funded employers clearer visibility into what they're actually spending on drugs — and why. The partnership combines Employers Health's three-decade track record as a group purchasing organization with Judi Health's tech-enabled platform, aiming to help employers identify and manage cost drivers more effectively.
The timing is no coincidence. A recent Marsh (formerly Mercer) analysis projects healthcare costs will rise 8.2% in 2027, with pharmaceuticals — especially GLP-1 medications and advanced high-cost therapies — leading the charge. StarkRx lets employers tap into a broad pharmacy network reimbursed on a cost-plus basis, plug in third-party specialty drug vendors, and access specialty products through Amazon Pharmacy or Evernorth's Accredo.
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Why it matters: Employers are increasingly frustrated with opaque legacy PBM pricing, and StarkRx reflects a broader market shift toward transparency-first, tech-enabled alternatives. As more self-funded employers look to take control of pharmacy spend, models like this could reshape how drug benefits are structured across the industry.
