President Trump recently unveiled “TrumpRx” — an initiative touted as a major step toward lowering prescription drug prices. But peel back the packaging, and it’s clear this isn’t the sweeping reform people were promised. Instead, TrumpRx is little more than a political smoke screen: a publicity play built on a deal with a single company, with no binding policy, no meaningful oversight, and no assurance it will bring real relief to most people.

Here is the truth, TrumpRx is not a policy. It’s a vague and confidential discount platform deal brokered under political pressure with one pharmaceutical company as its first partner. There’s no legislation, no regulatory framework, and no enforceable standards. In other words, nothing that holds the system accountable or ensures long-term affordability for patients. For an administration that promised transparency and toughness on Big Pharma, this is neither.

More importantly, TrumpRx doesn’t actually address the needs of the vast majority of people. Most insured individuals already receive negotiated rates on prescriptions — often similar or better than what discount cards provide. TrumpRx won’t change their costs. For the uninsured, using a discount card to pay out-of-pocket is a weak substitute for real, comprehensive health care coverage. They will still have to pay hundreds if not thousands of dollars for prescription drugs and risk going into medical debt.

We have a health care affordability and accessibility crisis in this country — it’s more than just the price of a pill, from one company. It’s the cost of doctor visits, hospital stays, and chronic disease management. And President Trump’s plan doesn’t fix that. In fact, this administration’s policies, on the whole, are making the crisis far worse. 

The prime case of this is continued efforts to gut Medicaid — one of the few programs that truly helps people afford their medications. Medicaid beneficiaries already pay very little out-of-pocket for prescriptions. But cuts to Medicaid eligibility, funding, and outreach under this administration have threatened the very safety net millions rely on. Over 7 million people are set to lose Medicaid coverage because of the so-called Big Beautiful Bill. On top of that, the same law will soon force more than 20 million Medicaid enrollees to pay more out of pocket for health care that was once fully covered. If the Trump administration really wanted to help with drug affordability, protecting and strengthening Medicaid would’ve been the place to start.

Instead, they did the exact opposite. 

It is also important to remember, drug companies are masters at shifting costs. Lower the price of one drug through a discount program, and they’ll recoup the profit elsewhere—through higher prices on other medications, reduced patient assistance programs, or increased costs for insurers. Ultimately, those costs still land on patients’ shoulders. TrumpRx does nothing to stop this cycle of greed and profiteering. 

The truth is, we’re facing a perfect storm of medical debt, unaffordable care, and skyrocketing insurance and drug prices. People across the country are rationing insulin, skipping prescriptions, or going bankrupt just to stay alive. And in one of the richest countries on earth, no one should have to choose between live saving health care and putting food on their table. 

What we need is bold, structural reform — not rebranded coupon codes. TrumpRx is not a solution. It’s a diversion — a political maneuver designed to look like progress without delivering any.