CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Healthcare professionals in the Mountain State are praising the Trump Administration’s recently signed executive order that could potentially slash prescription drug costs for Americans by up to 80%.

Trump signed the order Monday that would align what the United States government pays for certain medications to the prices paid in other countries.

According to the White House, the order would also direct the U.S. Trade Representative and Secretary of Commerce to take action to ensure foreign countries are not engaged in practices that undercut market prices and drive price hikes in the U.S.

Recent data shows that Americans pay three times more for brand-name prescription drugs over other countries.

Dr. Matthew Christiansen

Former state health officer and now Vice President of Health Affairs and Chief Medical Officer at Valley Health, Dr. Matthew Christiansen said on MetroNews Midday Monday following the order that this resonates with so many who find themselves paying way more for drugs than they can afford, especially when other countries are paying a lot less.

“I think it’s something we all know needs to be done to try and alleviate the rising costs of pharmaceuticals in this country, and it just doesn’t seem fair when we look at other countries and we see deals being made with pharmaceutical companies where they’re paying three or up to ten times less than we’re paying here in the United States,” Christiansen said.

The press release from the White House says the plan won’t be limited to Medicare prescriptions, but will also target medications covered by Medicaid and private insurance.

Angie Settle

West Virginia Health Right CEO Dr. Angie Settle said that after being with WV Health Right for nearly 30 years, residents not being able to afford their medications has been a plight she has seen for decades, and has only gotten worse since the Covid-19 Pandemic.

“Everyday there are people all over the United States, and especially here in West Virginia who have to make a decision between life-saving medications like insulin and putting food on their table, and it is an absolutely perfect time and it’s critical that the president has done this,” Settle said.

Christiansen said that even back just five years ago, he had heard of some patients having to go as far as Canada to get their insulin at affordable rates, and while there are better programs and options here now that make insulin and other life-saving medications more affordable, it has been an ongoing issue for many years.

He said this move could also be beneficial to those struggling with obesity who need the GLP-1 medications that have been highly unaffordable for many, but that are highly in-demand right now as well.

“It’s something that many people want access to, but you see current payment concerns, certainly with Medicaid but also with PEIA and other payers, that they just can’t afford them,” he said.

Settle said at Health Right, they see over 45,000 low income West Virginians who either have Medicaid, Medicare, or no insurance at all, with the bulk of those uninsured holding full-time jobs.

She said what those who don’t have healthcare insurance often do is simply go without care, which can be incredibly dangerous for those struggling with chronic diseases.

“When you have diabetes, or high blood pressure, or a seizure disorder, or anything like that, I mean, those are medications that you cannot go without, and we see people everyday that are working and, you know, they try rationing their insulin, or waiting to take their medicine or trying to stretch it, and that inevitably catches up,” she said.

Settle added that this is something that impacts every aspect of life.

“This is a struggle that people face everyday, and they are often faced with, you know, “am I going to have to quit my job to get poor enough for Medicaid so these medications will be covered?”

Christiansen said there are a couple reasons the U.S. has longtime been overpriced by pharmaceutical companies compared to other nations.

He said one reason for this is due to the fact that other countries have a completely different healthcare system that has allowed them to implement price controls at the governmental level prohibiting companies from selling a certain drug at a specific price.

Additionally, Christiansen said pharmaceutical companies will discount drugs for other countries, such as third world countries, that can’t afford to pay for them.

He said the argument has longtime been made that the high healthcare and pharmaceutical costs in the U.S. are used to subsidize research and development, and Christiansen said that while there’s no doubt the U.S. is a leader in research and new pharmaceutical drugs, the cost burden has been unfairly placed on the country.

“It something that needs to be borne more broadly across the world by other countries that are also benefitting from some of these novel innovations and really miracle drugs that are coming out on a regular basis,” he said.

Christiansen it’s already expected there’s going to be a lot of pushback to this executive order from major pharmaceutical companies, but only time will tell how effective it will be and how much it impacts drug costs for the average American.