Trump Receives More Credit Than Biden for Lowering Drug Prices

WASHINGTON — Despite the Biden administration’s efforts to lower prescription drug costs, a new poll indicates that former President Trump is receiving more credit for progress in this area.

Public Perception of Drug Price Policies

A recent KFF poll reveals that 41% of Americans believe that policies enacted during the Trump administration are likely to lower their prescription drug costs. This perception is sharply divided along party lines, with 79% of Republicans and 11% of Democrats attributing potential cost reductions to Trump’s initiatives. Source: STAT News

Awareness of Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program

The KFF poll as well highlighted a lack of public awareness regarding the Medicare drug price negotiation program. In September 2024, only 31% of respondents were aware of the program, which allows Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices with pharmaceutical companies. This means a larger proportion of Americans believe Trump’s policies will lower drug prices than are even aware of the Democratic-led initiative. Source: STAT News

Broader Context of Health Care Positions

A KFF side-by-side comparison of President Biden and former President Trump on health care, released in June 2024, noted that Trump often avoids specific policy details. His potential future actions must be inferred from past positions and the policy stances of conservative Republican organizations. Source: KFF The Trump campaign has distanced itself from detailed planning, stating that only statements directly from Trump or authorized campaign members should be considered official. Source: KFF

Trump’s Executive Actions on Global Health

In January 2025, President Trump began issuing executive actions, some of which affected U.S. Global health efforts. Source: KFF However, many of the provisions related to COVID-19 and global health security were rescinded, with minimal impact on current government policies. Source: KFF