President Donald Trump's early actions on health care signal his likely intention to wipe away some Biden-era programs to lower drug costs and expand coverage under public insurance programs. The orders he issued soon after reentering the White House have policymakers, health care executives, and patient advocates trying to read the tea leaves to determine what's to come. The directives, while less expansive than orders he issued at the beginning of his first term, provide a possible road map that health researchers say could increase the number of uninsured Americans and weaken safety net protections for low-income people.
However, Trump's initial orders will have little immediate impact. His administration will have to take further regulatory steps to fully reverse Biden's policies, and the actions left unclear the direction the new president aims to steer the U.S.
health care system. "Everyone is looking for signals on what Trump might do on a host of health issues. On the early EOs, Trump doesn't show his cards," said Larry Levitt, executive vice president for health policy at KFF, the health policy research, polling, and news organization that includes KFF Health News.
A flurry of executive orders and other actions Trump issued on his first day back in office included rescinding directives by his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, that had promoted lowering drug costs and expanding coverage under the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid. Executive orders "as a general .
