Employers Health and Judi Health launch StarkRx PBM model

Employers Health and Judi Health are rolling out StarkRx, a modular, cost-plus pharmacy benefit offering for self-funded plan sponsors. The new model aims to give employers more transparency, flexibility and control over drug costs, specialty pharmacy options and plan design.

Why it matters: - StarkRx is designed to give self-funded plan sponsors a clearer view of pharmacy costs and more tools to respond to those costs. - The offering is meant to replace some of the restrictions and misaligned incentives tied to legacy spread-based PBM models. - Employers Health and Judi Health are pitching the launch as a way to improve both financial and clinical outcomes for employers and members.

What happened: - Employers Health announced StarkRx on September 8, 2026, in Canton, Ohio. - StarkRx is a transparent, cost-plus pharmacy benefit offering built with Judi Health’s Judi Rx and Judi platform. - Employers Health said the product gives plan sponsors more control over pharmacy benefit design and data. - Chris Goff, chairman, president and CEO of Employers Health, said the new offering lets clients work together to find market innovators and move faster on today’s challenges.

The details: - StarkRx includes a broad retail pharmacy network using cost-plus reimbursement. - The model allows plan sponsors to work with third-party solution providers such as Archimedes for specialty drug management. - StarkRx also includes a cost-plus specialty pharmacy network that includes Amazon and Accredo by Evernorth. - Plan sponsors get centralized account management and participant care teams. - Employers Health says the service comes with highly rated support, including a Net Promoter Score of 87 from its client solutions, clinical, legal and analytics teams. - Judi Health chief commercial officer Kristin Begley said employers need transparency, accountability and technology that works in their best interests. - The Companies said StarkRx is intended to help plan sponsors choose from multiple service providers and plan designs to fit their goals. - Employers Health says its client base includes more than 500 clients nationwide, with PBM suppliers CVS Health, Optum Rx and MedImpact. - Employers Health says plan sponsors covering 2.5 million lives and nearly $6.1 billion in spend use its pharmacy benefit group purchasing programs. - Employers Health launched its group purchasing program in 1995. - Judi Health describes itself as a health technology company that provides benefit administration solutions to employers, unions, health plans and government entities. - Judi Health says its platform consolidates pharmacy and medical benefit administration on a single secure system through its Unified Claims Processing architecture. - Judi Health says its technology is built to improve price transparency, eliminate unnecessary middleman fees and support AI-powered care delivery. - More information is available in Employers Health’s StarkRx announcement. - Additional company background is available at Employers Health and Judi Health.

Between the lines: - The launch reflects a broader push by employers to move away from opaque pharmacy benefit pricing and toward models that tie fees more closely to actual costs. - The modular structure suggests Employers Health and Judi Health want StarkRx to work as a flexible framework, not a one-size-fits-all PBM package. - By naming specialty pharmacy and third-party partners, the offering signals that employers may be able to assemble more customized benefit stacks than legacy PBMs typically allow.

What's next: - Employers Health and Judi Health said they expect StarkRx to evolve with the industry. - The companies said they aim to deliver an improved experience for plan sponsors and members as adoption grows. - Employers Health is making more information available through its website for employers interested in the new offering.

The bottom line: - StarkRx is another sign that employers want more transparent, modular alternatives to traditional PBMs, especially as drug costs keep rising.