--- title: "Bill Ackman Backs Mark Cuban's Drug Pricing Model: These Healthcare Stocks Could Win—Or Lose" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/297791143.md" description: "Bill Ackman endorsed Mark Cuban's transparent drug pricing model, highlighting a structural challenge to traditional Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs). This shift favors insurers like Humana that adopt lower-cost options, while pressuring PBM-heavy firms such as CVS Health, Cigna, and UnitedHealth Group. Investors are advised to monitor companies positioned for growth in a transparent pricing environment versus those reliant on opaque rebate structures." datetime: "2026-09-02T12:49:11.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/297791143.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/297791143.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/297791143.md) generator: "portal-rs" --- # Bill Ackman Backs Mark Cuban's Drug Pricing Model: These Healthcare Stocks Could Win—Or Lose By endorsing **Mark Cuban**‘s proposals to make prescription drug pricing more transparent, **Bill Ackman** shifted the conversation from healthcare policy to something investors care about just as much: whether the traditional pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) model is facing a growing structural challenge. Cuban’s proposals center on allowing patients to buy lower-priced cash prescriptions without losing insurance benefits, standardizing PBM contracts, making pricing economics public, eliminating contractual “gag clauses,” and strengthening enforcement against repeat offenders. The proposals are closely aligned with the philosophy behind **Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company**, which bypasses traditional PBMs and sells medicines using a publicly disclosed pricing formula: the wholesale acquisition cost, plus a 15% markup, a pharmacy fee, and shipping. The model aims to eliminate “spread pricing,” where PBMs can profit from the difference between what they pay for drugs and what health plans reimburse. > .@mcuban is totally right about this approach to reducing drug prices. https://t.co/DWR0JTM1Qz > > — Bill Ackman (@BillAckman) September 2, 2026 **Read Also: Why Are 42% of US Cancer Patients Draining Their Life Savings in Two Years? Bernie Sanders Has a $400,000 Answer** ## Which Healthcare Stocks Could Benefit? The significance for investors lies less in Cost Plus Drugs itself—which is privately held—and more in which public companies are adapting to this shift: - **Humana Inc.** (NYSE:HUM) stands out because it has worked with Cost Plus Drugs through **SwiftyRx** to steer members toward lower-cost prescription options. If employers and state governments increasingly embrace transparent pricing models, insurers that incorporate lower-cost pharmacy solutions could benefit from reduced drug spending while differentiating themselves in a competitive Medicare Advantage market. - **CVS Health Corp** (NYSE:CVS), **The Cigna Group**‘s (NYSE:CI) Express Scripts and **UnitedHealth Group Inc**‘s (NYSE:UNH) Optum Rx have long relied on managing drug benefits, negotiating rebates and administering pharmacy networks. Greater transparency around pricing, rebates and contracts could put pressure on some of those economics over time, particularly as lawmakers continue pushing for additional disclosure requirements. Many of Cuban’s recommendations echo reforms already under consideration in Washington. The Department of Labor’s proposed PBM transparency rule would require disclosure of rebates, spread-pricing income and other compensation, reflecting a broader push to make prescription drug pricing less opaque. ## Watch the Trend, Not the Tweet Ackman’s endorsement alone is unlikely to reshape the healthcare industry. But it adds another influential voice to a growing push for simpler and more transparent drug pricing—a trend that has gained traction among entrepreneurs, policymakers and regulators alike. For investors, the bigger takeaway is to watch where healthcare profits migrate if that trend accelerates. Companies that help lower prescription costs through transparent distribution models may find new growth opportunities, while businesses whose earnings depend on opaque pricing and rebate structures could face mounting pressure. The investment question is no longer whether drug pricing reform is being discussed; it’s which companies are positioned for a healthcare system where transparency becomes a competitive advantage. **Read Also: Trump Expands Drug Pricing Agreements With 9 Drugmakers** *Image via Shutterstock* ### Related Stocks - [CI.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/CI.US.md) - [UNH.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/UNH.US.md) - [CVS.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/CVS.US.md) - [HUM.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/HUM.US.md) - [UNHG.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/UNHG.US.md) - [UNHU.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/UNHU.US.md) - [UNHW.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/UNHW.US.md) ## Related News & Research - [UnitedHealthcare's Rural Prior Authorization Waiver Program For Eligible Rural Hospitals & Affiliated Providers To Begin Nov 1](https://longbridge.com/en/news/297624860.md) - [UnitedHealthcare to drop prior authorization requirements for range of conditions from Oct. 1](https://longbridge.com/en/news/297634754.md) - [Humana (NYSE:HUM) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance](https://longbridge.com/en/news/297667325.md) - [United Capital Financial Advisors LLC Invests $2.58 Million in Humana Inc. $HUM](https://longbridge.com/en/news/297399433.md) - [Archer Investment Corp Buys New Position in CVS Health Corporation $CVS](https://longbridge.com/en/news/297393075.md) --- > **Disclaimer: This article is for reference only and does not constitute any investment advice.**