Mail-ordered prescriptions were supposed to be cheaper, but these medications are costing more than those picked up at pharmacy counters, The Wall Street Journal reported June 25. 

With the promise of lower costs, pharmacy benefit managers have encouraged employers to adopt mail-order pharmacy services, but some organizations are realizing they are now spending more for medical and drug benefits. 

Unity Care NW, a nonprofit health clinic in Washington, predicts health benefits for its 365 employees and their family members will increase by 25% to more than $3 million in 2024, according to the Journal. 

In some cases, markups were 35 times higher with the mail-order prescription service than other pharmacies. 

By stocking larger quantities of medications and selling 90-day fills, mail-order pharmacies market themselves as cost-savers. But generic prescriptions dispensed at these companies are on average three times more expensive than bricks-and-mortar pharmacies, according to data from healthcare research firm 3 Axis Advisors.