94% of Employers Ready to Add Prescription Savings Tools Amid Rising Drug Costs

New research finds that two in three employees are never informed about savings programs, even as workers make financial sacrifices at the pharmacy counter

FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla., July 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Demand for prescription savings solutions is near-universal among U.S. employers, with 94% of HR, CFO, and benefits leaders saying they were very or extremely likely to adopt a tool that would help educate employees on prescription affordability, according to new research from Buzz Health, a healthcare technology company driving connection across the prescription ecosystem.

The findings take on added urgency alongside a companion consumer survey: two in three American workers (67%) say their employer has never told them about tools or programs that could lower their prescription drug costs. Among employees who made sacrifices due to prescription costs, 55% reported their employer had never informed them about programs that could have helped.

Findings also show that this lack of awareness carries real consequences: 43% of full-time employees reported making at least one health or financial sacrifice in the past year because a prescription was too expensive, including delaying prescription fulfillment, skipping medications, and cutting back on groceries. Notably, employees who paid $35 or more out of pocket for a prescription were significantly more likely to abandon it at the pharmacy counter, a threshold that signals meaningful fill-rate risk for employers.

The findings come from a Buzz Health survey of 1,007 full-time employees and 250 healthcare benefit decision-makers. More than one in four decision-makers (27%) admitted that their company's health plan fails to adequately protect employees from high prescription costs, and 47% said their organization has taken no steps to address prescription affordability. The consequences reach beyond the pharmacy counter. Among employees who made sacrifices due to prescription costs, 55% reported their employer had never informed them about programs that could have helped, and 42% of decision-makers cited prescription affordability as a factor in employee turnover.

"Picture an employee at the pharmacy counter choosing between a needed medication and their groceries, while a savings program that could have helped sits undiscovered in their benefits portal," said Joseph Kleiman, President of Buzz Health. "That moment plays out millions of times a year, and it is entirely preventable. Employers already hold the answer. The most powerful intervention in the entire prescription journey may simply be telling people about the program that already exists."

Compliance documentation proved to be the deciding factor in moving employers from interest to action. Employers presented with a formal compliance brief covering HIPAA, ERISA, the No Surprises Act, and SOC 2 certification were 90% likely to adopt a solution — compared to 63% among those who were not. While employers and brokers both cite compliance as a key trust lever, brokers showed more hesitation overall, suggesting that ROI documentation alongside compliance materials may be important for advisor-driven sales channels.

Buzz Health addresses this gap with RxCompare^®, a HITRUST-certified pricing transparency platform, which can be embedded in the member portals employees already use. RxCompare lets employees compare real-time prices from multiple discount card providers against their insurance copay at their preferred pharmacy — and automatically surfaces the best available cash price when a medication isn't covered. Employers can participate with zero implementation cost.

Methodology
Findings draw from two separate Buzz Health surveys: a study of 1,007 full-time American employees and 250 healthcare benefit decision-makers on prescription affordability and employer benefits communication, and a targeted pulse survey of 32 employers and 11 benefits brokers examining adoption likelihood and decision drivers for prescription savings solutions.

About Buzz Health
Buzz Health is a healthcare technology company delivering intelligent, customizable prescription solutions through its integrated platforms, including BuzzRx, RxCompare, and its proprietary Buzz Health Adjudication Technology. Designed for scale and flexibility, Buzz Health's technology helps streamline pharmacy operations, optimize claims in real time, and improve access and affordability across the prescription ecosystem. By serving as the intelligence layer behind prescription savings and benefit navigation, Buzz Health enables measurable cost reductions, improved adherence, and better health outcomes.

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SOURCE Buzz Health