Today, Explained TrumpRx
113 snips
Oct 6, 2025 Julie Rovner, Chief Washington Correspondent for KFF Health News, and Stacey Dusetzina, a health policy professor at Vanderbilt, delve into drug pricing and Trump's initiatives. They discuss Trump’s tactics to pressure pharmaceutical companies and the implications of recent deals like Pfizer’s. Rovner critiques the limited impact of these promises for everyday consumers, while Dusetzina explores how international pricing compares favorably to the U.S. Their insights reveal the complex interplay between political rhetoric and actual policy change in health care.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
U.S. Drug Prices Are Uniquely High
- The U.S. pays far higher prices for prescription drugs than other countries and that fact is broadly agreed upon.
- Prior Trump attempts (orders, regs) to cut prices largely failed because industry sued and won.
Tariffs As Leverage On Pharma
- The Trump administration is using threats like tariffs to pressure drug companies into price concessions.
- That approach leverages trade tools rather than legislation to force industry deals.
Oval Office Pfizer Announcement
- President Trump hosted Pfizer's CEO in the Oval Office to announce a deal to lower Medicaid drug prices.
- The public details were limited because the agreement was described as proprietary.