Zócalo Health, a digital health provider for Latinos, is teaming up with Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company to improve access to affordable medications.
Launched in 2021, Zócalo is focused on removing barriers to primary care for Latino patients. All Zócalo users will now have the option to access Cost Plus Drugs prescriptions. The provider hopes making medications more accessible will encourage medication adherence in a vulnerable population.
A major barrier to routine primary care and care management is high prescription drug costs, Zócalo argues. One in four Americans who take prescription drugs struggle to afford them. The issue is more acute for lower-income households. Latinos are three times more likely to be uninsured than their white counterparts and are more likely to face language barriers when it comes to understanding their medications.
“The Zócalo Health care model is built around trust and connecting our patients to innovative and vetted solutions that help us gradually build the trust needed for long-term relationships and ongoing care management,” co-founder and CEO Erik Cardenas said in an announcement.
“Cost Plus Drugs and Zócalo Health share a common goal of providing consumers the lowest possible price for their prescription medication,” Alex Oshmyansky, CEO of Cost Plus Drugs, said in an announcement. “With Cost Plus Drugs, consumers can be confident they are getting a fair price and the convenience of medication mailed directly to their homes.”
The collaboration will offer the transparent pricing and convenience of Cost Plus Drugs, which can deliver medications via mail, granting patients access to the pharmacy from within the Zócalo virtual experience. The provider’s care navigators will assist any members in transferring their medications from existing pharmacies.
“As we think about what value we can add as a company in a very crowded market it’s around navigation and it’s around access. We want our community to have access to amazing convenient services like Cost Plus Drugs,” co-founder Mariza Hardin told Fierce Healthcare.
The collaboration will allow Zócalo to weigh in on Cost Plus Drugs’ roadmap and help communicate the prescription drug needs of the Latino community. “That’s probably the most meaningful part, that we’ve found someone we can share those insights with,” Cardenas said.
Zócalo services are currently available in Texas and California, with plans to expand.