Aetna Inc. will automatically pass along drug rebates to a portion its members starting in 2019, benefiting an estimated three million individuals, the company said on Tuesday. The policy, which will be applied to Aetna’s commercial fully insured plan members, follows a similar move by UnitedHealth Group Inc. earlier this month. Aetna said it had previously passed “the majority of rebates” to plan sponsors and their employees through lower premiums, but is making the change in the hope that “additional transparency will encourage [drug] companies to rationalize their prices and end the practice of annual double-digit price increases,” Chief Executive Mark Bertolini said. Drug rebates have become a focus of criticism in light of reports and research showing that health insurers and pharmacy middlemen don’t always pass those savings along to consumers, especially consumers with high-deductible health plans. Aetna shares rose 0.5% in premarket trade Tuesday. Shares have dropped 5.6% over the last three months, compared with a 0.9% decline in the S&P 500 .
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