Many of the largest drugmakers may be exempt from Medicare pilot programs intended to force them to lower some of their prices, potentially undermining the effort and depriving American patients of cheaper drugs.
Several of the 14 pharmaceutical companies that have struck individual drug-pricing deals with the White House said they are exempt from the Medicare effort. The terms of those deals have not been disclosed, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Many of the voluntary deals address how drugs are priced in Medicaid and through direct-to-consumer platforms, but don’t directly touch on Medicare. Trump and other administration health officials have touted these voluntary deals as significant measures to lower drug costs for Americans, but many experts have been skeptical that the agreements will make a big difference. The Medicare pilot programs, on the other hand, would force down prices in a measurable way.
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