COLUMBIA, Mo., July 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Paytient, the leader in employer-sponsored healthcare affordability solutions, today announced an expansion to make it easier for employers and their employees to pay less for prescription drugs. As employers face a projected 10% increase in healthcare costs for 2026 — largely driven by rising prescription drug costs — Paytient directly targets the fastest-growing pain point for both companies and their workers.
While the healthcare industry has made significant strides in medication affordability, lower drug costs alone do not guarantee that prescriptions get filled. The missing piece is payability: the ability to pay today, in full, at the pharmacy counter. The data is consistent across sources: according to a 2024 IQVIA report, patients starting a new therapy abandoned 98 million prescriptions at U.S. pharmacies — with increasing frequency as costs rise. Research from Buzz Health shows why: while 89% of patients will fill a prescription at $15, that number drops to just 53% at $35 — a 37-point plunge over a single $20 difference. Nearly half of all respondents have walked away from a prescription at the pharmacy counter when drugs cost because the cost was simply out of reach. By building a better way to simply pay for care, Paytient is working to ensure that all prescriptions, no matter the copay, are always affordable, accessible, and payable.
"The more often we see care with a cash price, the faster prices will come down." said Brian Whorley, Founder and CEO of Paytient. "By partnering with like-minded leaders like GoodRx and Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company, we're doing our part to raise the expectation in the marketplace and give employers a practical way to enable their employees to easily pay for medical care and pay less for prescriptions whenever possible — ensuring care is accessible and affordable for every household. It is possible to save and expand access — our own health plan saves $27 every time an employee uses this solution."
Innovation in plan-sponsored payment solutions became a federally-required standard of care in 2025 with the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan. In an effort to increase medication adherence and help make healthcare more accessible, equitable and affordable, nearly 56 million Americans now have a Medicare plan that will pay out-of-pocket costs in full on their behalf to pharmacies, giving people protection from financial uncertainty.
Paytient is now leading the market in bringing that same essential capability to employers and their workforces. While 44% of workplace-insured Americans have historically skipped or delayed medications due to upfront costs, data from Paytient's 2026 Employee Healthcare Affordability Report proves that cost-smoothing changes that reality: 56% of members were able to properly adhere to their prescribed treatment plan because of Paytient.
According to a 2026 Patient Advocate Foundation report, patients enrolled in a payment plan abandoned high-cost therapies at less than half the rate of those who weren't. Medication nonadherence drives up costs for employers and employees — with a direct cost of approximately $100 billion annually — and when people can't afford to stay on their medications, or never start them at all, hospital admissions follow.
"Adherence isn't just better for patients; it's a win for everyone," said Dr. Trent Haywood, Chief Outcomes Officer of Paytient. "Even with insurance, a GLP-1 priced at $299 a month is still $299 someone has to come up with today. And for a one-time specialty treatment that can run thousands of dollars out of pocket, that same ability to easily pay can be the difference between someone completing treatment or walking away entirely. Paytient lets people spread that out so they walk out of the pharmacy with their medication — not a plan to maybe come back when they can pay for it. "
To deliver this expanded flexibility and reduce traditional insurance dependency, Paytient's ecosystem includes strategic partnerships across distinct care categories, including:
- GoodRx: GoodRx is a leading platform for prescription savings in the U.S., accepted at over 70,000 U.S. pharmacies nationwide and offering access to generic, brand-name, and select specialty drugs.
- Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs, PBC (MCCPD): A direct-to-consumer, mail-order pharmacy, MCCPD aims to fundamentally change the way the pharmaceutical industry operates by providing highly affordable cash-pay options for generic and brand-name drugs.
By embedding GoodRx and MCCPD directly into its platform, Paytient pairs the lowest available cash-pay prices with flexible payment methods. This robust pharmacy ecosystem integrates alongside Paytient's extensive, established list of major health plan partners offering best-in-class employer, ACA, and Medicare Part D plans, including Anthem, Optum, Centene, Elevance, and Cigna — providing clients with broader plan design optionality.
Learn more about Paytient's prescription benefit solution here: https://www.paytient.com/prescription-benefit-solution
About Paytient
Paytient is the standard for healthcare affordability and payment innovation, empowering individuals to access care when they need it and pay over time — interest-free and without fees. Paytient has put over $2 billion in healthcare purchasing power directly into members' hands, and has facilitated over $500 million in out-of-pocket spend on care. By bridging the gap between coverage and cost, Paytient delivers measurable ROI and better health outcomes for individuals, employers, and providers. To learn more, visit www.paytient.com and join us on LinkedIn.
Media Contact:
Jenny Fiegoli VP
Marketing
jfiegoli@paytient.com
