Will TrumpRx Save You Money?
The White House’s direct-to-consumer drug website TrumpRx.gov is now live, with President Donald Trump announcing the launch Thursday at a White House event. “You will save a fortune,” he said.
TrumpRx does not actually sell drugs, as the site’s FAQ explains. Instead, it directs customers to manufacturer savings programs or participating pharmacies where consumers can use coupon codes provided by TrumpRx.
The Trump administration has reportedly negotiated with more than a dozen drug manufacturers, but only five drug manufacturers’ products are eligible for discounts on the site.
The concept of a middleman bringing drug savings to consumers is not new: GoodRx.com has been around for 15 years, offering comparison shopping, coupon codes and a subscription-based model for deep discounts through partnerships with pharmacy benefit managers.
And in 2022, businessman Mark Cuban of Shark Tank fame introduced Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co. MCCPDC’s website, CostPlusDrugs.com, gives people access to low-cost generic drugs and uses a transparent payment structure.
Additionally, some pharmaceutical companies, such as Eli Lilly, have their own direct-to-consumer online stores where customers can get discounts.
Currently, TrumpRx has a limited rate, with discounts available on only 43 drugs. “We’re just getting started,” says a disclaimer at the top of the site, with more drugs promised in the future.
Many medications focus on weight loss and fertility, including popular – and very popular – anti-obesity drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, which are not always covered by insurance.
The site also provides asthma inhalers, insulin and special drug shots for other rare diseases. In analysis, the New York Times points out that many drugs that come with eye-watering price tags, such as targeted cancer drugs, are not on TrumpRx.
Will it make your medicine cheaper?
The short answer is “maybe”; the long answer is “it depends.” The bottom line is that getting to the bottom of that question involves a lot of moving parts, and keep track of your health care and prescription costs completely.
First, people with insurance probably won’t save money using the new platform. Most insurance co-pays for prescriptions are lower than the prices you pay yourself, even with a discount. The site acknowledges this, encouraging users to check their insurance coverage first.
Most of the discounts shown are huge, ranging from 33% to 93%. But these percentages are based on the actual list prices of few, if any, customers will pay after insurance- and pharmacy-negotiated discounts are taken into account.
“For… many brand-name drugs, people are likely to get a better deal through their insurance than buying a drug through a consumer-oriented website,” Juliette Cubanski, deputy director of the research organization KFF’s program on Medicare Policy, told CNBC.
Some of the more expensive brand-name drugs on the TrumpRx site are already available in cheaper generic versions than the discounted brand-name drugs on TrumpRx.
In addition, it is important to read the fine print; some of the reduced prices on TrumpRx are for the first course of the drug only – say, the first month of treatment. – after that the price goes up. And the discounted prices advertised are, in some cases, temporary promotions.
For popular drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, which insurance rarely covers — or only covers for a limited time or for certain conditions (such as diabetes or sleep apnea) — TrumpRx can save money. But again, there are other factors to consider.
For example, in some cases, self-pay customers may be able to receive discounts or coupons directly from the drug manufacturer. (It’s a good idea to check the manufacturer’s website first if you need an expensive prescription that isn’t covered by insurance.)
If you choose to pay yourself rather than go through your insurance, your purchases may not count towards your co-pay or out-of-pocket costs. This is also in return for using GoodRx, MCCPDC and other direct-to-consumer sites, although a recent agreement reached between the Federal Trade Commission and pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts may pave the way for direct-to-pay drug purchases to count against these limits in the future.
The main point? Don’t assume that TrumpRx will give you the best deal on drug prices. “There may be patients who think this is a good deal and end up in a worse situation financially,” said Rachel Sachs, a law professor who studies drug pricing at Washington University in St. Louis. Times.
While it’s smart to include TrumpRx in the list of sites you check when shopping for prescriptions, in the end, it may not make a big difference in your prescription costs.
For many Americans, it’s likely that adding one more platform to the already confusing drug marketplace will make the hunt for cheap drugs even more difficult.
More from Mali:
Mark Cuban’s New Discount Pharmacy Promises Cheaper Drugs. How Cheap Is It?
‘No One Comes To This Casino And Wins.’ Meet the Podcaster Taking on the Health Insurance Industry
Have Medical Debt? Your Credit Score May Increase Under the New Policy
