Shockwaves rippled through Alabama State University as students, staff and faculty responded to President Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order, which revoked a key policy aimed at reducing prescription drug costs for Medicare and Medicaid recipients.
With the elimination of Executive Order 14087, which is titled “Lowering Prescription Drug Costs for Americans”, many are now questioning the future of affordable medication access.
Former President Joe Biden signed Executive Order 14087 in an attempt to lower the cost of prescription drugs covered by Medicare. The order was implemented to complement the health care cost provisions of Public Law 117-169, commonly referred to as the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA).
Under the Biden administration, enrollment in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans increased drastically, hitting record highs. Subsequently, over 24 million Americans are now enrolled in ACA plans for 2025.
However, health researchers predict that Trump’s executive order will increase the number of uninsured Americans and weaken prescription availability for low-income people.
“I’m worried because the prices of health care in the United States are already higher than in a lot of countries,” assistant professor Giana Biddle, Ph.D. said. “That causes people to delay care for things that they need.”
“Teaching some students from a low-income background, I am seeing the effect on the students that I teach daily. When it affects them and they cannot even take care of their health and bodies, they definitely can’t show up as students because they can’t even show up as people. It’s going to hurt everyone involved who can’t get that care due to the financial barrier,” Biddle said.
Associate Professor Cleon Barnett, Ph.D., shared his hypothetical opinion in the scenario that prescription prices do eventually increase.
“Higher prices automatically means lower availability for those who have less income,” Barnett said. “Especially in college, income could be an issue, so I definitely would see that being a problem for our students.”
According to NBC News, this action was expected, as it was a primary goal during President Trump’s first term to repeal the ACA. There is expected to be little immediate impact, as there will need to be further regulatory actions to fully reverse Biden’s policy. For President Trump to fully reverse the program, congressional action will be required. With a total reversal of Biden’s directive, prescription drug costs are at risk of increasing.
Senior Ma’Kayla Gordon, a psychology major, is worried about people who cannot afford to pay for medicines that they will need.
“My concern is for people that can’t afford to pay for their prescription,” Gordon said. “As college students, we already can’t afford some simple things. We’re dependent on our work-study or part-time jobs that only pay so much an hour, so financial burdens make getting prescriptions even harder. Medicine and prescriptions are things that people need, not something they want, so it should be affordable.”
Summer Jones, a freshman majoring in criminal justice, agrees with Gordon.
“Taking away something to help with prescription prices is not good at all,” she said. “I think the fact that prices will go up is something to worry about, along with many of the other executive orders he made. This one, in particular, forces families to work even harder. It’s sad to think prices are even going up considering the inflation in our economy already.”