President Trump claimed during his State of the Union address last month that his administration had lowered prescription drug prices from the highest in the world to the lowest. "I took prescription drugs, a very big part of health care, from the highest price in the entire world to the lowest," Trump said. "That's a big achievement."
However, a new analysis from The New York Times, along with German outlets NDR and WDR, has found that while some prices have come down through the administration's TrumpRx platform, Americans are still paying significantly more than patients in other wealthy countries, particularly in nations like Germany where the government negotiates prices and covers most medication costs.
What the Right Is Saying
Trump administration officials defend TrumpRx as a significant achievement that has delivered tangible savings for American patients. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has stated that the platform represents a "historic" effort to lower drug costs and noted that prices for certain medications, including popular weight-loss drugs like Wegovy, have dropped by nearly half.
Senate Republicans have largely supported the administration's approach, arguing that TrumpRx demonstrates the effectiveness of market-based solutions to drug pricing. Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, has called the platform "a step in the right direction" while acknowledging that more work remains.
Many Republicans have also opposed extending the ACA subsidies, arguing that they were a temporary measure that should not become permanent. Senate Minority Leader John Thune has noted that the subsidies added significantly to federal spending and that their expiration forces lawmakers to address healthcare costs through broader reform rather than temporary programs.
What the Left Is Saying
Progressive Democrats and healthcare advocates have seized on the analysis to argue that the administration is overselling Trump's drug pricing achievements. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a longtime advocate for lowering prescription drug costs, has called Trump's claims "misleading" and argued that true healthcare reform requires comprehensive legislation rather than executive actions.
The expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies at the end of 2025 has also drawn sharp criticism from Democrats. Those subsidies, which helped more than 22 million Americans afford coverage, were allowed to expire over Republican objections. Democrats have pushed aggressively to extend the subsidies, noting that premium increases have caused average costs to more than double in 2026.
Progressive lawmakers argue that the TrumpRx platform is a limited tool that does not address the fundamental structure of pharmaceutical pricing in the United States. They point out that the platform covers only a few dozen drugs out of thousands on the market, leaving out many commonly used medications and expensive treatments, including numerous cancer therapies.
What the Numbers Show
The data from the New York Times analysis reveals persistent gaps between U.S. drug prices and those in other wealthy countries. In Germany, patients often pay little to nothing out of pocket for prescription medications due to government-negotiated prices. The prices that Germany's system pays are frequently lower than what the Trump administration negotiated through TrumpRx.
TrumpRx covers only a few dozen medications out of thousands available on the market. The platform leaves out many of the most commonly prescribed drugs and some of the most expensive medications, including numerous cancer treatments. Even among drugs included on the platform, prices often remain higher than what patients pay overseas.
For weight-loss medications like Wegovy, U.S. prices have declined significantly but remain among the highest globally. In some cases, Americans pay double what patients in other countries pay out of pocket for the same medications. The gap has narrowed more substantially for generic drugs than for newer, patent-protected medications.
The expiration of ACA subsidies at the end of 2025 has had a measurable impact on coverage costs. Premiums have more than doubled on average in 2026, directly affecting household budgets for millions of Americans who purchased coverage through the exchanges. The biggest enrollment gains in recent years have occurred in red states, where many of those affected by the subsidy expiration reside.
The Bottom Line
The TrumpRx platform has delivered price reductions for certain medications, but the analysis shows that Americans continue to pay more than patients in other wealthy countries for many prescriptions. The platform covers only a limited subset of available drugs, leaving out many commonly used treatments.
The debate over healthcare costs is likely to intensify as Congress considers the administration's proposed "Great Healthcare Plan," which currently lacks detailed implementation guidance. Democrats continue to push for restoration of the ACA subsidies, while Republicans argue for market-based solutions.
What remains clear is that comprehensive healthcare affordability will require ongoing legislative action. The TrumpRx executive actions represent one tool in a larger policy landscape, but experts from both sides of the aisle agree that systemic reform will need to address the broader structure of pharmaceutical pricing and insurance coverage in the United States.