Delivering Lower Out-of-Pocket Costs to Patients Despite Medication Inflation

Prescription drug affordability remains one of the central health care challenges before Congress and state policymakers. At The Cigna Group, we share similar goals to improve drug affordability and transparency for patients.

In 2025, Express Scripts, The Cigna Group’s pharmacy benefit manager, directly negotiated an average patient savings of $2,077¹ per year for 24 million members in a commercial plan² – an increase from $1,918 in 2024. Likewise, commercial patient cost-sharing declined by nearly 8%.¹ This marks the third straight year that Express Scripts lowered patient cost-sharing despite continued rising drug prices from drug companies. After negotiated pricing, discounts and other cost-saving programs are applied, patients paid only 14.4% of net prescription costs.¹

Lower Costs.
Year After Year.
Learn more about how we deliver consistent, measurable savings that help make prescription medications more affordable for the people who rely on them every day.

Figures drawn from an analysis of 24 million lives in Express Scripts’ 2025 commercial book of business

Introducing a new annual patient savings report

Savings only deliver their full value when patients have transparency, understand where those savings come from, and how their pharmacy benefits help reduce costs. Beginning in July 2026, patients who filled five or more prescriptions in 2025 received a personalized annual report detailing the cumulative savings from price reductions Express Scripts negotiated with drug companies and others, along with plan coverage and discounts from participating cost-savings programs, across all their prescribed medications. Reports based on 2026 data will be available in early 2027.

Report sample: An average individual enrolled in a high-deductible health plan who has at least five prescription fills in 2025 and is not filling specialty medications or GLP-1 prescriptions.³

Building a more affordable and predictable pharmacy benefit experience

Topline savings numbers and the new reports reflect a shift in how pharmacy benefits are designed and delivered. Our patients and clients expect and deserve more transparency, simplicity, and real-time visibility into costs. That’s what we strive to bring them. But more can be done. As our new Signature Model rolls out over the next two years, we expect to be able to report additional year-over-year data, even in years where the numbers might be less favorable.

¹Based on an analysis of Express Scripts 2025 commercial book of business representing a population of approximately 24 million lives drawn from commercial employer and health plan clients with stable populations and a pharmacy benefit plan administered by Express Scripts.

²Commercial plans are private plans sponsored by employers, labor unions, health plans, and public sector entities. It excludes government-funded programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.

³Actual average 2025 pharmacy savings based on an Evernorth 2026 analysis of claims from all Express Scripts members that fit this description. Individual savings reports will vary based on plan design and individual contributions.