When the Trump administration launched TrumpRx in early 2026, it promised to “ensure Americans pay prices aligned with the lowest in other developed nations, ending decades of overpayment and delivering immediate relief.”
But a new analysis from KFF shows that the results, so far, are mixed.
The nonpartisan health policy research, polling, and news organization’s report analyzed 32 brand-name drugs without generics listed on TrumpRx that had publicly available prices in comparable “peer” countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and more.
For 17 of the 32 drugs, the TrumpRx price was lower than the average price in other countries. But for the remaining 15 drugs, the TrumpRx price was higher than the average price in other countries. And 13 have higher prices on TrumpRx than in any other country included in the comparison.
“There’s no across-the-board pattern of higher prices for brand-name drugs listed on TrumpRx compared to other countries, but there’s also no consistent pattern of lower prices,” said Juliette Cubanski, vice president and director of the program on Medicare policy at KFF.
“The takeaway, I think, for patients is that there’s no guarantee that the price they will face for a given brand-name drug on TrumpRx is lower than what the drug’s price would be in another country.”
There are some caveats to keep in mind. The KFF analysis used publicly listed prices from other countries, which don’t necessarily reflect the out-of-pocket costs for patients in those countries who use their available healthcare systems.
TrumpRx “continues to deliver measurable savings for American patients nationwide, in many cases offering drugs at prices below the average prices paid in comparable developed countries,” a representative from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement to tax assistant, citing $700 million in prescription drug savings for Americans through the program.
TrumpRx prices compared to other countries
The rising cost of prescription drugs in America isn’t new.
AARP also published a report in May showing that prices for some brand-name drugs have increased in the U.S. while decreasing in other countries. In an analysis of 25 brand-name drugs, AARP found that U.S. list prices had increased by an average of 81% since the drugs entered the market, while prices across 19 other “high-income countries” decreased by an average of 13%.
The report also acknowledged that “efforts are underway to address this longstanding issue,” including the administration’s push to lower drug prices for Americans through “Most Favored Nation” pricing.
The lower costs for brand-name drugs on the TrumpRx platform are available through “Most Favored Nation” price agreements with drug manufacturers, and brand-name drugs with “Most Favored Nation” pricing are listed on TrumpRx as “Presidential deals.” In May, the site also began listing hundreds of generic drug prices, and more prescription medications are continually being added.
In August, the Trump administration reported that prescription drug prices showed their largest annual decline in over 60 years, citing Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
KFF’s analysis, however, shows that not all patients are seeing the same price declines in comparison to other countries. Of the 32 drugs analyzed, five were listed for the lowest price on TrumpRx compared to the other countries. TrumpRx charged the highest price among the other countries for 13 of the brand-name drugs, though.
KFF’s analysis did not compare the costs Americans are paying now to what they paid for the same drugs before the platform launched.
“Prescription drug affordability remains a serious concern for millions of Americans, and there is still significant work to do to bring down prices,” said Leigh Purvis, prescription drug policy principal at AARP, in a statement to tax assistant. “We always recommend comparing your options.”
How to find the best deals on prescription medications
Comparing prices from multiple available options can help you get the best price for your prescription medications. TrumpRx is one resource, but there are other actions you can take too.
You can look into other discount programs, compare different pharmacy options in your area or online, talk to your doctor about generic equivalents, and more.
“Shop around,” Michelle Long, senior policy manager for the Program on Patient and Consumer Protections at KFF, previously said to tax assistant. “Check what all of your options might be, both for paying cash and for using your health insurance.”
Check with your insurance first
TrumpRx is generally useful for people without insurance coverage or those who want access to brand-name drugs their plan doesn’t cover. Those who want access to GLP-1s for weight loss or fertility drugs, for example, may often find savings on TrumpRx when they can’t get the drugs through insurance.
The math often looks different when insurance applies for a drug, however. In most cases, insurance co-pays are going to cost less than the discounted price through TrumpRx. The TrumpRx site even recommends users check their insurance co-pays before paying cash: “Insured patients should always check the TrumpRx price against those offered through their insurance companies.”
Compare other discount sites
There are other sites where you can find coupons for discounted prescription drugs, like GoodRx and Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs.
These sites can all work a bit differently. TrumpRx typically shows you different in-person and delivery pharmacy options. You can choose the one that’s best for you, then ask your doctor to send the prescription there. With Cost Plus Drugs, you’ll need to create an account on the site and have your doctor send your prescription to the platform, which will mail it to you.
Each may offer different prices and instructions for receiving your medication. The medications they offer can also differ.
“It really does boil down to using TrumpRx as a way to shop around on the prices of medications, but I don’t think people can assume that they’ll be paying the lowest price for the medication if they use the Trump Rx website,” Cubanski said.
The nonpartisan health policy organization KFF analyzed 32 brand-name drugs listed on TrumpRx that lack generic alternatives. They found mixed results: 17 drugs were priced lower on TrumpRx than the average listed price in comparable developed nations, while 15 drugs were priced higher. Furthermore, TrumpRx offered the highest price globally for 13 of those drugs and the lowest price for 5.
In most peer nations—such as Canada, Germany, France, and the UK—government single-payer bodies or single-negotiator boards directly regulate, negotiate, or set price caps across their entire healthcare systems. In contrast, the U.S. relies on direct-to-consumer, cash-pay direct agreements and manufacturer deals through platforms like TrumpRx, which leads to varying discounts rather than unified lower pricing.
Not always. TrumpRx is primarily beneficial for uninsured patients or for medications not covered by a standard health insurance plan (such as weight-loss GLP-1s or fertility drugs). Insured patients should compare TrumpRx cash prices against their health plan’s co-pays, as standard insurance co-pays or Medicare Part D rates are typically lower than cash-pay platform prices.
Each platform operates under a different structure:
TrumpRx lists cash-pay direct manufacturer discounts (“Presidential deals”) and directs users to participating retail or mail-order pharmacy partners.
GoodRx acts as a coupon aggregator across retail pharmacies.
Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs buys generic drugs directly from manufacturers, adds a transparent 15% markup plus pharmacy fees, and ships medications directly to patients’ homes.
Health policy experts recommend a multi-step approach:
Check your insurance formulary to calculate your exact out-of-pocket co-pay first.
Shop across multiple cash-discount tools (TrumpRx, GoodRx, Cost Plus Drugs, SingleCare).
Ask your doctor or pharmacist about generic or biosimilar alternatives, which are almost always cheaper than brand-name drugs.
Look into Manufacturer Patient Assistance Programs (PAPs) if you are uninsured or facing high out-of-pocket costs.
Manoj Sharma is a Senior Writer on the banking team at Tax Assistant. He provides information on budgeting, bank accounts, the banking industry, and other related topics. Using original data and methodologies, he helps you identify the best financial institutions, accounts, and products tailored to your needs. Manoj holds a degree in Journalism and Political Science from Syracuse University. All articles are strictly reviewed and fact-checked by our panel of expert Chartered Accountants, including CA Devendra Saini, CA Nikhil Khunteta, and CA Ankit Goyal
