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President Trump’s new TrumpRx online platform<\/a><\/span> is a key part of his plan to help lower drug costs for consumers, with some polls showing two-thirds of Americans report high health care costs as their\u00a0chief financial concern<\/a><\/span>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Here’s what to know about TrumpRx, which launched Thursday and which the White House said<\/a> in a fact sheet will provide “immediate relief” to patients across the U.S. \u00a0<\/p>\n The White House said Trumprx.gov<\/a>\u00a0gives consumers “direct access to dramatically lower prices” on dozens of commonly used medications. The website doesn’t let users buy drugs directly, but rather directs people to drugmakers’ sites, where they can fill their prescriptions.\u00a0<\/p>\n TrumpRx notes it only “displays discounted drug pricing offers” and does not sell medication directly to consumers.\u00a0<\/p>\n “It’s a portal where someone can check if they can find a cheaper price, direct-to-consumer, from a drug manufacturer,” Kaye Pestaina, vice president and director of KFF’s patient and consumer protections program, told CBS News. “It’s not a storefront.”\u00a0<\/p>\n To purchase a discounted medication, TrumpRx tells users to follow the instructions for each drug offer on the platform.<\/p>\n Anyone can use TrumpRx, provided they have a prescription. For now, however, the platform doesn’t accept insurance and is limited to patients who buy medications out of their own pocket.\u00a0<\/p>\n “At this time, TrumpRx discounted pricing is only available for cash-paying patients,” the platform notes.<\/p>\n As a result, spending on drugs through TrumpRx won’t count toward a consumer’s insurance deductible.<\/p>\n Still, cheaper, direct-to-consumer options could benefit uninsured Americans, people with high deductibles and patients whose medications aren’t covered by their insurance. \u00a0<\/p>\n “You should not be buying drugs anymore, going forward, without at least checking to see if those medications are available at these discounted prices,” Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said Thursday.<\/p>\n By contrast, Pestaina noted that consumers might also be able to find lower drug prices through their own health insurance. “It might be a good thing for some people, but for most folks they are paying less through insurance,” she said.<\/p>\n Exceptions to that might include GLP-1 medications for weight loss, where TrumpRX could lead to savings, Pestaina noted. “Your employer might not cover these kinds of drugs, or there could be limitations.”<\/p>\n For example, the White House fact sheet said TrumpRx offers Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy<\/a><\/span> pills for as little as $149 a month, down from $1,349. Consumers can also realize major savings on drugs used to treat infertility, according to the Trump administration.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mr. Trump has urged Congress to pass “The Great Healthcare Plan,”<\/a><\/span> which he introduced in January to lower health insurance costs. The proposal would “enable coverage of TrumpRx.gov purchases under health plans” and reduce medical insurance costs, according to the White House.<\/p>\nWhat is TrumpRx?<\/h2>\n
Who can use TrumpRx?<\/h2>\n
What drugs are offered?\u00a0<\/h2>\n