Trump Claims Credit for Lowest Drug Prices as Reports Point to Biden Policies

President Donald Trump claimed credit for the lowest prescription drug prices in 60 years during a public presentation of a news article, despite the text of that same report attributing the price drops to policies enacted by Joe Biden.

Trump Rescinds Biden-Era Health Care Executive Orders

On Monday, President Trump signed a sweeping order aimed in part at reversing several Biden administration executive orders on health care. According to NBC News, the order targets policies the White House describes as “radical” and “deeply unpopular,” specifically those aimed at lowering prescription drug costs for Medicare and Medicaid recipients, enhancing the Affordable Care Act and increasing protections for Medicaid enrollees.

One specific target of the order was a Biden-era directive that tasked Medicare with exploring ways to lower drug costs, including a proposed $2 monthly out-of-pocket cap on certain generic drugs. Stacie Dusetzina, a health policy professor at Vanderbilt University, told NBC News that this particular initiative was still in the development stage, and it was unclear whether it would be implemented at all before it was overturned.

The administration also moved to weaken the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). Per NBC News, Trump rescinded a policy that had extended the open enrollment period by 12 weeks across 36 states, a move that had provided uninsured adults additional time to secure coverage.

The Conflict Between Public Claims and Policy Actions

While the President showcased an article citing historic lows in drug pricing, the underlying data in that report pointed to Biden’s initiatives as the driver.

Larry Levitt, executive vice president of health policy at KFF, noted to NBC News that jettisoning the order to investigate new ways to lower out-of-pocket spending may signal that the Trump administration is “less serious about addressing the cost of health care in the U.S.” Levitt observed that the current approach represents a “wiping the slate clean” compared to the first Trump term.

Despite these rescissions, some of the most significant pillars of the Biden administration’s health care strategy remain untouched for now. According to NBC News, the following policies were not affected by Monday’s executive actions:

• The $35 monthly cap on insulin.
• The $2,000 annual out-of-pocket cap on prescription drugs.
• Medicare’s authority to negotiate drug pricing, a key component of the Inflation Reduction Act.

The Stakes of Medicare Price Negotiations

The most critical point of contention remains the negotiation of drug prices. Last week, Medicare announced a new round of drugs slated for negotiations, which includes Ozempic and Wegovy.

Arthur Caplan, head of the division of medical ethics at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, told NBC News that Trump appears to be proceeding with “great caution” by leaving the larger initiatives alone. Caplan suggested that Trump is aware that U.S. health care costs are significantly higher than in other countries, which may necessitate government intervention.

Strategic Divergence in Health Care Governance

The shift in approach is not merely symbolic. By removing outreach funding for Medicaid and shortening enrollment windows for the ACA, the administration is altering the accessibility of the health care system.

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