Trump Ends Push To Slash Prescription Drug Costs

Follow Drugslib on

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Jan 22, 2025.

By Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 22, 2025 -- With a sweep of the pen, President Donald Trump has ended a Biden administration effort to lower the cost of prescription drugs for people on Medicare and Medicaid.

Trump's order, signed shortly after his inauguration on Monday, targets policies his administration calls "deeply unpopular" and "radical," NBC News reported.

One of those now-cancelled policies directed Medicare to investigate ways to slash drug costs, including the possibility of a $2 monthly out-of-pocket cap on some generic medications.

Monday's actions also follow through on a key goal of Trump's first term -- weakening the Affordable Care Act. In particular, he nixed a policy that gave uninsured adults in 36 states an extra 12 weeks to sign up for coverage, according to NBC News. He also reversed an order that included more outreach funding to states, which was designed to make Medicaid stronger.

A key provision in former President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, negotiating Medicare drug prices, remains untouched for now. Last week, Medicare unveiled a list of prescription drugs up for negotiations next. They included Ozempic and Wegovy, the popular weight-loss and diabetes drugs.

A $35-a-month cap on insulin costs and $2,000 annual out-of-pocket cap on prescription drugs were not affected by the executive order signed Monday, NBC News reported.

Arthur Caplan, head of medical ethics at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City, told NBC News that it appears that Trump is moving with "great caution." Biden's bigger initiatives have so far been left alone, he noted.

He said the president knows that health care costs in the United States are far higher than in other parts of the world and that the government may need to intervene.

"Right now, he seems to be nibbling on the edges," Caplan told NBC News.

Larry Levitt, an executive vice president at KFF, a health policy think tank, offered a similar assessment.

He told NBC News some of the cancelled policies once meshed with Trump's goals, suggesting a possible change in his priorities.

By cancelling Biden's order to investigate new ways to lower out-of-pocket spending on prescription medications, Levitt said Trump may be signaling that he is less serious about addressing health care costs.

"Trump is kind of wiping the slate clean," Levitt concluded. "If you contrast Day 1 of this Trump administration with the last one, it is a different approach to health care."

Sources

  • NBC News

    • Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

    Source: HealthDay

    Posted : 2025-01-23 06:00

    Read more

    Disclaimer

    Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

    The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

    Popular Keywords