Camilla Jessen
A new government-backed website promises to lower the price of prescription drugs for Americans.
On 5 February 2026, the Trump administration launched TrumpRx.gov, a platform designed to connect Americans with discounted prescription drugs offered directly by manufacturers.
TrumpRx is not an insurance programme and does not sell medicines itself. Instead, it lists roughly 40 to 43 medications and links users to manufacturers’ sales pages or coupons accepted at certain pharmacies.
The discounts are based on so-called “most-favoured-nation” pricing, under which drugmakers agree to match prices charged in other wealthy countries in exchange for regulatory or trade incentives.
What it doesn’t cover
Lower drug prices do not equal health insurance.
TrumpRx discounts do not count toward deductibles or out-of-pocket limits and provide no protection against hospital stays, emergency care, specialist visits or diagnostic tests.
By contrast, the Affordable Care Act focused on expanding insurance coverage.
According to federal data and academic research, it reduced the number of uninsured Americans through Medicaid expansion, subsidized insurance marketplaces and income-based assistance.
TrumpRx addresses only one slice of healthcare costs, leaving the broader structure of coverage unchanged.
Who benefits most
People who pay cash for prescriptions, including the uninsured or underinsured, are likely to benefit most from TrumpRx in the short term. For them, cheaper medicines may ease monthly expenses.
Most Americans, however, already obtain prescriptions through insurance plans that negotiate their own discounts. For those patients, TrumpRx’s listed prices may not significantly change what they pay at the pharmacy.
For uninsured patients, cheaper drugs still do not shield them from the far higher costs of hospital care or emergency treatment.
Cost versus coverage
The launch of TrumpRx ahead of the 2026 midterm elections highlights the political appeal of tackling drug prices.
Polling consistently shows prescription costs resonate strongly with voters.
The White House has framed TrumpRx as part of a broader effort to reduce living costs and has floated larger healthcare reforms under what it calls “The Great Healthcare Plan.”
Those proposals, however, would require congressional approval and do not expand Medicaid or Affordable Care Act eligibility.
What it means for patients
TrumpRx may lower the cost of certain medications. But it does not change who has access to comprehensive healthcare.
For millions of Americans without adequate insurance, seeing a doctor, entering a hospital or receiving preventive care still depends on coverage that TrumpRx does not provide.
Sources: Trump administration announcements, Affordable Care Act policy records
