HEALTH
Rare Disease Drugmakers Seek Medicare Price Cut Exemption
Biotech lobbyists are working overtime to carve rare disease drugs out of federal price-cut pilots designed to lower Medicare costs.
A coalition of biotech firms and the Rare Disease Company Coalition are lobbying the federal government to exclude orphan drugs from new pilot programs targeting Medicare drug costs. The push is a direct attempt by drugmakers to avoid upcoming price caps.
- The Rare Disease Company Coalition is leading the lobbying effort to exclude orphan drugs from federal pilot programs.
- A broader coalition of biotech firms is joining the push to keep their products out of Medicare price-cutting initiatives.
- The disputed pilot programs are specifically designed to lower Medicare drug costs for consumers and the government.
WHY THIS MATTERSEven if you aren't on Medicare today, pharmaceutical lobbying wins like this keep the entire drug pricing ecosystem artificially inflated. When specific drug categories dodge price caps, the cost burden shifts back onto the broader healthcare system.