Trump's Rx.gov Weight Loss Drug Deal: What's the catch?

[Generated Title]: Trump's "Miracle" Weight Loss Drug Plan: Another Scam or a Real Deal? (Spoiler: It's Complicated)

Okay, so Trump's back at it again, huh? This time, instead of walls, he's promising cheaper weight loss drugs. Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are supposedly playing ball, slashing prices on their GLP-1 drugs – you know, the stuff that's been flying off the shelves faster than PS5s during the pandemic.

TrumpRx.gov: Savior or Sales Pitch?

The big idea is TrumpRx.gov, a website launching in January, where you can supposedly snag these drugs at a discount. Starting doses of the new obesity pills from Lilly and Novo will be $145 a month for folks on Medicare, Medicaid, or using TrumpRx. Existing injections like Wegovy and Zepbound will start at $350, then "trend down" to $245 over two years. Trump announces deal to sell some weight loss drugs for as low as $149 on TrumpRX.

Sounds great, right? Like Trump's personally solved the obesity crisis with a stroke of his… whatever he uses to sign executive orders. But let's be real.

First, Medicare will start covering obesity drugs for some patients in mid-2026. Mid-2026! That's ages away. And it's only for some patients. The article says about 10% of Medicare beneficiaries will be eligible. Ten percent! So, 90% of seniors who could benefit are SOL? What kind of "deal" is this?

And then there's Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – yes, that RFK Jr. – claiming the American public will lose 125 million pounds next year because of this. Give me a break. That's like saying everyone will suddenly become Mensa members because they started drinking bottled water.

The Fine Print (and There's Always Fine Print)

The article mentions that states will have to "opt into" the lower Medicaid pricing. States opting in? So, it's not even a guarantee? Some states will probably drag their feet, leaving their residents stuck with the same crazy prices. The article doesn't say which states, ofcourse.

And what about the people who aren't on Medicare or Medicaid? They're still getting hosed, right? Oh wait, Kennedy claims everyone can get the same price for GLP-1s. But how? Is it really that simple?

It's like when they promise you "up to" a certain speed on your internet. Yeah, up to if you're living next door to the server farm and sacrificing a goat to the tech gods.

Collapsing Under the Weight of Promises

There's even a detail about a guy fainting behind Trump during the announcement. Seriously? Is this some kind of morbid foreshadowing? Or just another day in the Trump White House circus?

And let's not forget the "most favored nation" policy angle, tying drug prices to the lowest prices abroad. Sounds good in theory, but how is that actually enforced? Are we really trusting Trump to negotiate fairly with Big Pharma? The same Big Pharma that's been lobbying against drug price controls for decades? Maybe I'm just too cynical, but it feels like a house of cards waiting to collapse.

Eli Lilly is also lowering prices on its direct-to-consumer platform, LillyDirect. Okay, fine. But who even knows about LillyDirect? It feels like they're trying to bury the lede – like, "Oh yeah, we're doing this other thing too, but don't pay attention to the giant asterisk."

So, What's the Real Story?

This whole thing smells like a carefully crafted PR stunt designed to make Trump look like a hero before the next election. The details are fuzzy, the promises are vague, and the timeline stretches out far enough that nobody will remember if it actually happens. It's classic Trump: big talk, little action, and a whole lot of smoke and mirrors.