Among the 10 largest pharmaceutical companies by revenue, seven spent more on marketing expenses in 2020 than research and development.
What's to blame for the high costs of our health care system? It depends on who you ask. Drug manufacturers will point to the high cost of health insurance, and health insurers will point to the high cost of drugs.
Last month, PhRMA, a research and lobbying group for the pharmaceutical industry, released its Barriers to Health Care Access and the Patient Experience report, which highlights the financial struggle health insurance and out-of-pocket costs pose for Americans. The report noted that 59% of survey respondents would rather pay lower out-of-pocket costs than health insurance premiums, and that "Health insurance benefit design and out-of-pocket costs are barriers to care that can lead to non-adherence."
Complete your profile to continue reading and get FREE access to BenefitsPRO, part of your ALM digital membership.
Your access to unlimited BenefitsPRO content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking benefits news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
Emily Payne
Emily Payne is director, content analytics for ALM's Business & Finance Markets and former managing editor for BenefitsPRO. A Wisconsin native, she has spent the past decade writing and editing for various athletic and fitness publications. She holds an English degree and Business certificate from the University of Wisconsin.
