Trump wants to lower prescription drug prices. What it means for your pharmacy bill.

Americans pay much for medicine drugs than radical successful Europe oregon successful immoderate different affluent nation. Is that apt to alteration anytime soon?

President Donald Trump took purpose astatine that pricing disparity with an enforcement bid connected May 12 that aims to little cause prices for U.S. consumers and taxpayers, sharing connected societal media that they'd beryllium chopped by "59%, PLUS!" and aboriginal astatine the White House adding, "I conjecture adjacent 90%."

But immoderate uncertainty however overmuch consumers volition consciousness the cuts. Pharmaceutical experts accidental the enforcement bid volition person nary contiguous interaction connected however overmuch radical wage astatine the pharmacy oregon for mail-order prescriptions. The president has asked the cause manufacture to voluntarily little cause prices for U.S. user oregon beryllium taxable to a barrage of regulatory actions to unit little prices.

"The president thinks of pharmaceutical terms differences betwixt countries the aforesaid mode helium thinks of our commercialized imbalances with different countries," said John Barkett, managing manager astatine the absorption consulting steadfast BRG and a erstwhile elder argumentation advisor successful the Biden White House. "If we wage much than different countries, past helium thinks we're getting ripped off."

How volition the bid little cause prices?

The United States commercialized typical and the Department of Commerce person 30 days to springiness drugmakers terms targets "to bring prices for American patients successful enactment with comparably developed nations," the bid said.

If they don't marque important advancement toward those goals wrong six months, drugmakers could look actions from respective national agencies. The requested cause discounts could scope for 59% to 80% from database prices.

Trump said different affluent nations should wage much for medicine drugs. He called his enforcement order, which aims to complaint Americans little and different nations more, "equalization."

If drugmakers that don't chopped prices, the bid directs Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Health and Human Services Department to draught national rules to enforce prices successful enactment with different developed nations.

Trump's enforcement instrumentality would travel from national regulators. Drug companies that neglect to conscionable terms targets could beryllium investigated by the Federal Trade Commission for anti-competitive practices oregon look Food and Drug Administration reviews to "potentially modify oregon revoke" approvals of drugs recovered to beryllium "unsafe, ineffective oregon improperly marketed."

The bid besides resurfaces an thought from the Trump administration's archetypal word that achieved small uptake − importing little costly pharmaceuticals from different nations.

Michael Cannon, manager of wellness argumentation studies astatine the Cato Institute, said the menace of regulatory enactment from respective national agencies amounts to "throwing spaghetti against the wall."

"If they propulsion everything (at cause companies), they are much apt to get cause companies to bash what they want," Cannon said.

How volition these actions impact what I wage astatine the pharmacy counter?

The enforcement bid volition person "no contiguous interaction connected the American consumer," Barkett said.

The magnitude consumers wage for medicine drugs depends connected their wellness security plans, which often complaint copayments oregon a percent of the pharmacy bill. Prices besides often see analyzable rebates hidden from nationalist view.

Studies amusement consumers are feeling the pinch of higher cause prices. A 2023 survey by The Commonwealth Fund, a backstage instauration that focuses connected entree to wellness care, said nearly 2 successful 5 radical skipped oregon delayed aesculapian attraction oregon didn't capable a prescription that twelvemonth due to the fact that they couldn't spend it.

Some Democrats are skeptical that the enforcement bid volition present meaningful cause terms alleviation to consumers oregon taxpayers.

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, said Trump talks astir lowering cause prices "but fails to execute anything."

"Rather than changing the law, Trump issues different property merchandise that volition connection consumers small oregon nothing," Doggett said. "Begging Big Pharma to amusement immoderate benevolence to the taxpayers and consumers, whom they proceed to terms gouge, volition bash thing to guarantee entree to affordable medications."

How overmuch much bash US residents wage for medicine drugs?

Americans wage much for these life-saving medications than residents of different affluent nations.

U.S medicine cause prices tally much than 2.5 times those successful 32 comparable countries, according to a 2023 HHS report. The U.S. spent $1,310 per idiosyncratic connected medicine drugs, compared to $646 per idiosyncratic paid successful different developed nations, the study said.

In January 2025, AARP Public Policy Institute examined mean database prices connected 25 drugs for which Medicare spent the astir connected but had not yet negotiated little prices. The study recovered prices astir doubled since they deed the marketplace and collectively outgo Medicare and taxpayers astir $50 cardinal successful 2022.

About 7 cardinal older adults connected Medicare utilized the drugs and had to wage a information of the measure astatine the pharmacy oregon via message order.

How does Trump's bid comparison to the Biden administration's efforts to little cause prices?

Under Biden's 2022 clime and wellness legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act, Medicare was empowered to negociate prices with pharmaceutical companies connected a constricted fig of medications.

The instrumentality called for extended rules, nationalist comments and talks with cause companies earlier Medicare implemented discounts.

The Biden medication lowered prices connected 10 wide prescribed drugs, specified arsenic the humor thinner Eliquis, which volition instrumentality effect successful 2026. In January, Medicare announced an further batch of 15 drugs taxable to dialog for discounts opening successful 2027.

The instrumentality besides called for penalties connected cause companies that raised prices connected medicine drugs faster than the complaint of inflation.

What does the pharmaceutical manufacture deliberation astir Trump's order?

Stephen Ubl, president and CEO of the commercialized radical Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, oregon PhRMA, agreed with Trump's appraisal that overseas countries are not paying their just share.

Ubl besides said pharmacy payment managers, which negociate cause prices connected behalf of insurers and patients, besides request scrutiny.

"The medication is close to usage commercialized negotiations to unit overseas governments to wage their just stock for medicines," Ubl said. "U.S. patients should not ft the measure for planetary innovation."

But Ubl said U.S. pharmacy payment managers, insurers and hospitals instrumentality fractional of each dollar spent connected medicines.

"The magnitude going to middlemen often exceeds the terms successful Europe," Ubl said. "Giving this wealth straight to patients volition little their medicine costs and importantly trim the spread with European prices."

This nonfiction primitively appeared connected USA TODAY: Trump plans to little medicine cause costs