In Behind the Counter, STAT video producer Anna Yeo set out to answer a deceptively simple question: Why are prescription drugs in the United States so expensive? The resulting five-part video series tackles one of the most complex and opaque systems in American life with clarity, wit, and visual flair. From pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to patent manipulation, Yeo unpacks the financial and regulatory maze that helps determine whether patients pay a few dollars or hundreds for essential medications.
Each video in the series addresses a key piece of the pricing puzzle. The first explores how PBMs — little-known middlemen between insurers, drugmakers, and pharmacies — can inflate costs while claiming to lower them. Later episodes explain how formularies affect access, why insulin prices remain high despite generic alternatives, and how pharmaceutical companies exploit the U.S. patent system to block competition and keep prices artificially high. The final installment reveals how these factors collectively burden patients and policymakers alike.
Rather than presenting these issues through dry legislative analysis or impenetrable white papers, Behind the Counter engages viewers with sharp narration, clear visual metaphors, and a clever mix of archival footage, digital animation, and stop-motion effects. The tone is accessible but never condescending — informative without being overwhelming. Yeo draws on interviews with experts, her own deep research, and the collaborative insights of senior STAT senior writer/columnist Ed Silverman, whose decades of drug-pricing coverage helped ground the series in investigative authority.
Yeo’s videos were embedded in Silverman’s reporting on drug industry practices and also published as stand-alone explainers on STAT’s website, YouTube channel, and social media platforms. The format was chosen deliberately: Visual storytelling reaches audiences that might not read long-form policy reporting but are eager for clear answers about the high cost of their prescriptions. Each video was also accompanied by a brief article to reinforce the topic in written form and make the material discoverable in search.
The project emerged from internal editorial conversations about how best to serve readers who were regularly asking questions about drug pricing. Silverman’s reporting had made it clear that there was a strong appetite — and a need — for foundational, accessible education about the architecture of the U.S. pharmaceutical system. With Behind the Counter, Yeo not only met that need but created something distinctive: public service journalism that is as engaging as it is substantive.
At a time when health care costs are a top political issue and drug affordability can be a life-or-death concern for millions of Americans, Behind the Counter gives the public a toolkit. It’s journalism that clarifies, demystifies, and empowers — one video at a time.
