Late Friday afternoon, July 24, President Trump hosted GOP lawmakers at the White House as he submitted a plan to lower drug prices. He did, indeed, sign four Executive Orders addressing drug prices. What is unclear is whether these orders will ever be enacted or will lower prices.

• The first order gives 30 days for pharmaceutical companies to come up with their own proposal to reduce drug prices. This plan encourages drug makers to find a way to bring the prices Americans pay more in line with other developing nations. Americans can pay hundreds of times more for the exact same drugs sold in other countries. This plan is the most controversial, as it orders drug makers to provide a plan.

• A second order eliminates the rebates that drug makers pay to insurers, IF this plan does not raise insurance premiums. Apparently the government’s own actuaries estimate that this plan will raise premiums up to 25%.

• The third order will allow Americans to import medicines from other countries. (Yes, it is more cost effective to buy the identical drugs in in Canada and transport them home.)

• Finally, the last order forces certain health centers to pass negotiated discounts on insulin and Epi-Pens. This plan caps insulin co-pays to $35 per month through Medicare.

After 3.5 years of the Trump presidency, these orders fall short of the many promises made by this administration. In fact, none of these orders are even new. The order to limit drug prices paid by Americans, was part of the drug pricing proposal put up by the Democrats in late 2019. Unfortunately, we don’t have time to see if these orders actually drive down drug prices. The election is 98 days from today.