Trump Calls for Insurance Companies to Cut Healthcare Prices ‘Way Down’ in Shocking New Plan

President Donald Trump said Friday he intends to convene health insurance companies in an effort to reduce healthcare costs for millions of Americans.

“I’ll bet you if I called a meeting of the insurance companies, the companies that are involved with healthcare costs, I would be willing to bet that they would reduce their prices very, very substantially,” Trump stated at the White House following his announcement of agreements with nine drugmakers to lower pharmaceutical pricing.

Trump’s remarks were broadcast live on a major streaming platform.

“We could have fair healthcare in the country,” he added. “My initial thought, and what I want to do right now, is that all of the billions and trillions of dollars paid to these companies will be directed directly to people. But there’s another way: getting insurance companies to cut their pricing way down and stay part of the system.”

Trump indicated the meeting could occur in Florida next week or at the White House early in the new year.

“I’m going to call a meeting of the insurance companies,” he said. “I’ll see if they get their prices down—very bluntly, this is a very big statement.”

A total of 14 pharmaceutical firms have entered agreements with the Trump administration following tariff threats. The nine that finalized deals on Friday include Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Genentech, Gilead Sciences, GSK, Merck, Novartis, and Sanofi.

Three companies initially targeted by the administration—AbbVie, Johnson & Johnson, and Regeneron—have not yet publicly engaged with Trump on price reductions but are expected to make announcements soon.

“What happened here is the biggest statement of all,” Trump said. “Nobody thought something like this was possible. You just witnessed drug prices dropping at levels never before imagined.”

Trump also emphasized that the next phase involves pressuring insurance companies to slash costs significantly, stating: “Maybe we can have reasonable healthcare without having to cut them out and let it all go awry.”

Insurers have pushed back against Congress and the Trump administration over the impact of Medicaid cuts included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. They have also lobbied for extensions of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies expiring at year’s end.

Democrats have highlighted potential premium increases despite creating the subsidies during the pandemic and extending them in 2022, making the issue a central demand during last fall’s government shutdown.

Trump has urged Republicans to bypass tax credits for insurers and send money directly to Americans, accusing Democrats of being aligned with the health insurance industry.

Michael Katz is a reporter with more than 30 years of experience covering news, culture, and politics.