100 Most Influential People in Healthcare - 2024

Cuban co-founded Cost Plus Drug Co., which both contracts directly with pharmaceutical manufacturers to sell medications at fixed-rate markups and manufacturers some drugs itself, in 2022. Since then, he has become a prominent figure in the quest to promote healthcare transparency. This year, Cost Plus announced that Franklin, Tennessee-headquartered Community Health Systems would be the first to purchase medications from the company, with nine hospitals across Texas and Pennsylvania initially buying thousands of vials of epinephrine and norepinephrine. A few months later, Cuban said he intends to make all future Cost Plus contracts public, with all provider partners agreeing to transparency requirements. He has said he’s urged employers to stop working with major pharmacy benefit managers, with plans for his own initiative, Cost Plus Wellness, to pay cash for his workers’ medical needs.