TUDOR DIXON: Historic Drug Price Relief For American Families

President Donald Trump has kept more campaign promises than any chief executive in modern history. From securing the southern border to lowering the violent crime rate to cutting taxes to unleashing American energy, Trump’s first year in office was history-making in its laser-like focus on tackling America’s most pressing needs.

But perhaps nowhere has Trump’s actions earned him the gratitude of Americans from coast to coast than delivering on his promise to make prescription drugs more affordable and accessible, especially for the uninsured or those with less than stellar insurance plans.

Thanks to the bold leadership of the Trump administration, millions of Americans previously struggling to obtain the prescription drugs their providers have deemed necessary for their health – or even their very lives – will now be able to better afford them.

Several important steps taken by the Trump administration over the last year in reining in drug prices culminated this month in the unveiling of Trump Rx, a program under which the costs of some of the most common and necessary drugs relied upon by millions of Americans – including older Americans – will become infinitely more affordable.

Imagine the choices facing people who can’t afford the medicine prescribed by their doctors. Do they delay filling the prescription, or try to ration the medication, taking less than prescribed? Or must they stop taking it altogether and risk the outcome?

Even under Medicare, many older Americans living on fixed incomes who take multiple medications can still face substantial out-of-pocket costs for specialty medicines.

Having to choose between their prescriptions or buying groceries, paying their rent, or keeping the lights on and the furnace running can lead to financial disaster, not to mention additional physical and mental ills brought on by stress and anxiety.

Trump’s devotion to completely remaking the healthcare landscape will ease the burden for Americans everywhere. He didn’t just negotiate amazingly reduced prices with the leading drug manufacturers. On Feb. 4, he also forged a deal with Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) — the companies that businesses and governments employ to take on Big Pharma and negotiate lower drug prices — to render more efficient and effective work from them.

The significance of Trump’s PBM reform was not lost on Heritage Media Fellow and viral conservative X influencer Tim Young.

“This system’s been broken for 20+ years. What did anyone else do to fix it?,” he wrote. “Complete reform achieved. End of story.”

He’s right.

When he began his campaign for president, Trump promised in the early days on the campaign trail to take on the big pharmaceutical companies head-on.

“Under my policy, the United States government will tell Big Pharma that we will only pay the best price they offer to foreign nations, who have been taking advantage of us for so long. The United States is tired of getting ripped off,” Trump said in June 2023 when announcing his determination to dramatically lower drug costs.

Promise made, promise kept. That’s exactly what the president has done. Under the most-favored-nation agreements included in the Trump Rx program, the U.S. will pay no more than the lowest price paid by any other country, with prices reduced as much as 300 to 600 percent, Trump announced.

The White House explained that Trump Rx features historic price reductions for two of the most popular drugs that help treat diabetes, heart disease, obesity and other maladies. It provides huge savings on commonly used fertility drugs. It offers substantial discounts on drugs designed to treat COPD, asthma, dermatitis, osteoporosis and other conditions.

While the usual critics in the Trump-hating far-left media immediately attempted to downplay the benefits of Trump Rx, they soon found themselves with egg on their faces when the details emerged, showing price reductions such as Wegovy dropping from $1,349 to $149 a month. Similar savings on a wide range of popular drugs are highlighted at TrumpRx.gov.

The Trump administration’s achievement in slashing drug prices is nothing short of historic. It represents top to bottom reform, an accomplishment sought after by president after president – including Barack Obama under his failed “Obamacare” plan – but not made a reality until now.

And there’s more good news to come. The Trump Administration announced it will soon be “onboarding additional companies that have most-favored-nation agreements and is aggressively pursuing additional agreements to expand the platform — ultimately driving even greater savings for Americans on prescription drugs.”

But the president is determined to do even more. At the same time Trump Rx debuted, he called on Congress to swiftly pass his Great Healthcare Plan, a “comprehensive reform (that) would codify the savings from the most-favored-nation initiative, lower insurance premiums, hold big insurance companies accountable, maximize price transparency, and enable coverage of TrumpRx.gov purchases under health plans – ensuring every American benefits from these historic reductions in drug costs.”

Thanks to Trump, millions more Americans can obtain the prescriptions they need without sacrificing other crucial essentials. Thank you, Mr. President, for another promise kept.

Tudor Dixon (@TudorDixon) is host of the Tudor Dixon podcast. Dixon was the GOP’s nominee for governor of Michigan in 2022.

 The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.

(Featured Image Media Credit: Screen Capture/PBS NewsHour)