On December 21, 2025, a broadcast segment aired on PBS News Weekend that brought renewed national focus to the escalating cost of prescription medications and its profound impact on American families. With the winter season underway and the demand for routine and chronic health care rising, the segment struck a timely chord. It featured healthcare experts, patient advocates, and policy analysts who illuminated the real-world consequences of rising drug prices, especially for those managing long-term medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, mental health disorders, and autoimmune diseases.
The segment opened with a stark assessment: prescription drug costs in the United States are increasing at a pace that continues to outstrip wages and inflation, leaving millions of Americans vulnerable to financial hardship. For individuals and families relying on multiple prescriptions to manage chronic illnesses, these rising costs have created a situation where medical necessity often clashes with economic reality. The program presented firsthand accounts of patients skipping doses, splitting pills, or abandoning their prescribed regimens altogether—not because the treatments weren’t working, but simply because they could no longer afford them.
Throughout the discussion, a recurring theme emerged: even those with insurance are not immune to these affordability challenges. While insurance coverage may theoretically shield patients from the full cost of medication, the structure of many plans tells a different story. High deductibles, substantial copays, limited formularies, and cost-sharing requirements mean that insured individuals still shoulder significant out-of-pocket expenses. Those enrolled in high-deductible health plans or employer-sponsored insurance often face medication costs in the hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars per month—particularly for newer or specialty drugs. As one patient advocate noted during the broadcast, the system increasingly functions in a way that penalizes people for being sick.
Experts interviewed on the program emphasized that these challenges are not new, but they have become more acute in recent years. They attributed the upward pressure on drug prices to a combination of factors, including market exclusivity for brand-name drugs, limited competition, opaque pricing practices among pharmaceutical manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), and the growing reliance on high-cost specialty medications. In some cases, the same drug is available abroad for a fraction of the U.S. price, raising questions about domestic pricing models and regulation.
The PBS report also touched on the psychological and emotional toll this crisis imposes. For many Americans, the anxiety around affording medications extends beyond the pharmacy counter. It influences how people budget for groceries, housing, transportation, and other essentials. Some families are forced to cut back on necessities or delay other forms of care—like doctor visits or diagnostic tests—to ensure they can maintain access to life-saving prescriptions. In communities with lower average incomes or high rates of chronic illness, the effects are magnified, exacerbating health disparities and contributing to cycles of poverty and illness.
Several policy solutions were explored during the segment, reflecting ongoing discussions in Washington and among state governments. Chief among them is the push for greater pricing transparency—requiring pharmaceutical companies, PBMs, and insurers to disclose how prices are set and how rebates or discounts are applied. Advocates argue that transparency could help identify inefficiencies and unfair markups, paving the way for more rational pricing and better-informed consumers. Another key proposal involves expanding the federal government’s authority to negotiate prices for a broader range of drugs, a power currently limited under Medicare. Proponents believe that such negotiations could yield significant savings for taxpayers and beneficiaries alike.
Additionally, reforms to insurance structures were discussed, including the possibility of capping out-of-pocket spending for essential medications and standardizing formulary coverage to prevent arbitrary denials or restrictions. Some policy analysts argued for streamlining the role of PBMs, whose complex rebate structures often obscure the true cost of medications and incentivize higher list prices.
The PBS segment underscored that while some legislative progress has been made—such as provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act allowing Medicare to negotiate prices for certain high-cost drugs—the overall system remains fragmented and in need of comprehensive reform. The current patchwork of policy solutions, they warned, is insufficient to address the scale of the crisis.
The timing of the segment, airing during the holiday season and just before the start of the new legislative year, appears to have been strategic. As Congress prepares to reconvene in January, the issue of drug pricing is likely to resurface as a major point of debate. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have expressed concern about affordability, though partisan divisions persist over how best to address the problem. With a presidential election year approaching, there is also growing pressure on policymakers to demonstrate tangible action on health care issues that directly affect voters’ wallets and well-being.
Ultimately, the broadcast served not only to inform but also to urge action. By spotlighting the daily struggles faced by ordinary Americans and the systemic inefficiencies that enable unchecked price hikes, PBS News Weekend helped elevate drug affordability as one of the pressing health and economic issues of our time. The message was clear: without decisive policy reform, the burden on patients will only deepen, with consequences that extend far beyond the pharmacy counter and into the broader fabric of American life.
