CBO: Trump-GOP Drug Law Costs Taxpayers $8.8 Billion

The revised CBO outlook reveals that the ORPHAN Cures Act, a measure previously estimated to cost $5 billion, now carries an $8.8 billion price tag. The office attributed the surge to the inclusion of several high-cost medications that are now exempt from Medicare price caps. Among these is Keytruda, a Merck-manufactured cancer treatment priced at $24,062 per six-week cycle. The legislation delays the drug's eligibility for price negotiations by at least a year, directly curbing potential savings for both patients and the government.

Advocacy groups are condemning the move as a major concession to the pharmaceutical industry. Merith Basey, executive director of Patients for Affordable Drugs Now, described the act as a "wildly expensive handout" that weakens federal oversight of drug pricing. Critics argue this is part of a broader, ongoing effort by the Trump administration and congressional Republicans to dismantle price negotiation programs established during the Biden era. With industry lobbyists pushing for further exemptions through additional legislation like the EPIC Act, advocates warn that the current trajectory prioritizes corporate profits over the needs of American seniors.