What is TrumpRx?

The Trump administration is testing a strategy to lower prescription drug costs by linking U.S. prices to what other wealthy countries pay. They call it “Most-Favored-Nation” pricing. The theory is that Americans should not pay more for the same medication than patients in Europe or Canada. TrumpRx.gov is the consumer-facing piece of that effort.

What is TrumpRx? The website lists discounted cash prices for certain medications that both foreign and domestic drug manufacturers have agreed to offer. It does not dispense drugs and does not process insurance claims. Instead, patients pay out of pocket at participating pharmacies and use coupons. The Trump administration says TrumpRx makes the government-negotiated prices from the Most-Favored-Nation policy visible to consumers.

Who will benefit most? The site is most likely to benefit people without insurance or who need drugs that insurance does not cover, said America First Policy Institute health policy expert Hannah Anderson. Right now, about 8% of Americans are uninsured. That’s about 28 million people who may benefit from a cash-only option like TrumpRx.

It might also be a good option for those with high-deductible insurance, Anderson said. But insurance payments count toward an annual deductible and out-of-pocket maximum. Cash purchases usually do not. That means what looks cheaper in the moment may not be cheaper over the course of the year.

Which drugs are on the site? The 43 drugs currently available are all brand-name. The drugs most likely to benefit consumers are weight loss and fertility medications, since those are the least likely to be covered by insurance, said Kaye Pestaina, director of the patient and consumer protection program at KFF.

What should consumers consider before purchasing a drug listed on the site? TrumpRx doesn’t assemble every possible discount or consider the prices of generic versus brand-name drugs. That means consumers still need to shop—especially since 43 drugs is a small fraction of the thousands of prescriptions on the market. Most patients can also take a generic drug for a fraction of the cost of a brand-name prescription, Pestaina said.

Consumers should also be aware that if they are purchasing drugs from multiple sources, there may not be one medical practitioner who knows every medication they are taking. That could lead to dangerously mixing medications or overprescribing, Pestaina said.

Do experts think this is an effective policy? Supporters and skeptics alike agree that more competition in prescription pricing could benefit consumers, but they disagree on how many people TrumpRx will benefit.

Brookings Institution economic fellow Marta Wosinska said pressuring insurance companies to allow drug purchases on the site to count toward a patient’s deductible would help more people. She thinks the Trump administration is too focused on “fairness” instead of lowering prescription drug prices.