What's the latest with the Trump admin's promise on lower drug prices in Medicaid?

NPR | By Sydney Lupkin,

Scott Detrow

Published September 14, 2026 at 4:34 PM EDT

The Trump admin's drug price deals came with a promise to offer lower prices in Medicaid. But the goalposts keep moving. Instead of all drugs, it's just one or two. And the deadlines for states to voluntarily sign on has been pushed back twice. So what's the status?

Sydney Lupkin

Sydney Lupkin is the pharmaceuticals correspondent for NPR, where she has reported on accelerated drug approvals whose confirmatory trials were overdue, Operation Warp Speed contract accountability, and the ripple effects of obesity drug shortages.

See stories by Sydney Lupkin

Scott Detrow

Scott Detrow is a host of All Things Considered, as well as NPR’s daily news podcast Consider This.

See stories by Scott Detrow

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