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By Peter Aitken and Gabe Whisnant
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President Donald Trump on Thursday outlined his "Great Healthcare Plan" that he wants Congress to take up as Republicans face pressure over rising medical costs and higher insurance premiums after key federal subsidies expired.
Why It Matters
Thursday marked the final day for most Americans to choose an Affordable Care Act health plan as the lapse of federal subsidies drives up costs and intensifies debate in Washington over how to respond. Lawmakers remain split on whether to restore the aid that had kept premiums down for millions of enrollees.
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The deadline came amid warnings from insurers and analysts that many consumers will face higher bills in the months ahead. The political stalemate has left no clear path for addressing the rising costs.
Democrats forced a 43-day shutdown over expiring credits for the Affordable Care Act, which expired at the end of 2025, and forced health care into the forefront as a significant issue of focus for lawmakers.
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What To Know
The White House says the "Great Healthcare Plan" proposal would lock in Trump’s drug‑pricing efforts by tying U.S. prices to the lowest rates paid overseas.
A central component would route money directly to Americans through health savings accounts. Republican senators floated a similar idea last year, which Democrats dismissed as inadequate for covering the high cost of care.
Currently, such accounts are used disproportionately by the wealthiest Americans, who have more income to fund them and a bigger incentive to lower their tax rate. Specifics on the accounts, such as how much money consumers might receive or who would qualify for those payments, remain unclear at this time.
Trump also pledged to lower premiums by restoring cost‑sharing payments to insurers, a move analysts say could drive down some prices while potentially increasing net costs for others.
This move aims to codify his efforts to bring down drug prices by tying them to the lowest price paid by other countries—what Trump has called the "most favored nation" pricing policy on prescription drugs for Medicare and Medicaid recipients, ensuring that drugs sold at reduced prices overseas will be sold at similar prices for American programs.
This expands on several healthcare policies that Trump has pursued since returning to office last year, including his TrumpRx initiative, announced in late 2025, which aimed to provide a direct-to-consumer website that would allow Americans to benefit from reduced prescription drug prices.
Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Mehmet Oz, said that while drugs had not surfaced on the website as of Thursday, the administration aims to have them available by the end of the month.
This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.
Update 1/15/26, 2:25 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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