# Mark Cuban steps in to cut heart transplant drug cost 2026-08-16T14:52:32+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban has helped Payton Herres, a 26-year-old heart transplant survivor, obtain her anti-rejection drug at a fraction of the cost after her insurer stopped covering it. Herres, who received a donated heart at age 11, had relied on everolimus since 2013 but was told in February that the drug was no longer medically necessary by her insurer, Elevance Health (Anthem). After a social media appeal, coverage was restored but the price rose to $1,000 for a 90-day supply from $180 earlier, leaving her unable to afford it. The story reached Cuban through posts on LinkedIn. His Cost Plus Drug Company now supplies the medication for about $300 for 90 days, with costs covered by a nonprofit linked to startup Claimable. Elevance Health stated the initial denial "did not fully account for" Herres' medical history and apologised, approving the drug. A recent IQVIA study found 70% of commercially insured US patients faced initial denials for a newly prescribed branded medicine in 2024, highlighting broader insurance access issues. ## Coverage - economictimes.indiatimes.com - timesofindia.indiatimes.com This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-17T09:06:05+00:00. Tags: Mark Cuban, Payton Herres, United States Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/mark-cuban-cuts-heart-transplant-survivors-drug-bill-to-300/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/mark-cuban-cuts-heart-transplant-survivors-drug-bill-to-300/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/