Save For A Few Brief Moments, Trump Avoided Health Care In Lengthy Speech
In his State of the Union address, the president touched on his efforts to lower prescription drug costs and touted his “Great American Health Plan” that would shift health care payments to people. But he noticeably did not mention changes his administration has made regarding vaccine recommendations, Medicaid and research funding cuts, or the hot-button issue of abortion.
Managed Healthcare Executive:
In Record-Long State Of The Union, Trump Devotes Less Than Five Minutes To Healthcare
In an hour and 48-minute speech that set the record for length for the State of the Union address, President Donald Trump spent less than five minutes on healthcare issues. At approximately 35 minutes into the speech, Trump launched into attack of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), saying that it had made insurance companies rich and had benefited the companies, not people. The government, said Trump, had given insurers “hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars a year as their stock prices soared 1,000, 1,200; 1,400 and even 1,700%, like nothing else.” Trump said that is why he proposed his Great Healthcare Plan, which was unveiled in January 2026. “I want to stop all payments to big insurance companies and instead give that money directly to the people so they can buy their own health care, which will be better health care at a much lower cost.” (2/25)
Stat:
Trump Touts Lower Drug Costs And Anti-Fraud Measures In Lengthy State Of The Union
In the first State of the Union address of his second term, President Donald Trump touted economic wins, including on health care, even as more than half of Americans say health care has become more unaffordable for them and their families. In his speech, Trump claimed he had brought prescription drug costs from the highest in the world to the lowest, thanks to his most-favored nation policy. And he implored congressional Republicans to codify the policy into law, lest his successor hike prescription drug prices. (Cirruzzo and Wilkerson, 2/24)
The Hill:
Donald Trump Blasts Democrats After They Decline To Cheer Teen Gender Transition Ban At State Of The Union
President Trump on Tuesday blasted Democrats as “crazy” and accused them of “destroying the country” after they refused to stand and applaud his proposal during the State of the Union to bar states from allowing teens to undergo gender transition treatment without consent from their parents. “Surely we can all agree no state can be allowed to rip children from their parents’ arms and transition them to a new gender against the parents will. Who can believe that we’re even talking about it? We must ban it and we must ban it immediately,” Trump said, taking a moment to bask in applause from Republican lawmakers. (Bolton, 2/24)
The 19th:
Trump Didn’t Mention Abortion In The State Of The Union
Over almost two hours, President Donald Trump covered issues as varied as tariffs, men’s hockey, immigration and health care. He even touted a drug-purchasing platform offering discounted prices the government has bargained for some fertility drugs. But not once did he mention abortion — underscoring, just months before the midterm elections, a growing rift between the White House and a coalition that helped fuel Trump’s two presidential victories. (Luthra, 2/24)
The New York Times:
Fact-Checking Trump's 2026 State Of The Union Address
President Trump claimed in his State of the Union address on Tuesday night to have ushered in a “turnaround for the ages” by citing a list of familiar falsehoods and inaccurate claims. (2/25)
In other Trump administration news —
Bloomberg:
US To Halt Zimbabwe Health Aid After $367 Million Deal Talks Collapse
The US is ending its health aid programs in Zimbabwe after Harare withdrew from talks over a bilateral deal with Washington. An agreement would have provided the southern African nation with $367 million over five years for programs including HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention, tuberculosis, malaria and disease outbreak preparedness, according to the US embassy in Zimbabwe. As part of the proposed deal, Zimbabwe was asked to gradually increase its own funding for healthcare, it said. (Naidoo, Marawanyika, and Kew, 2/25)
KFF Health News:
Democrats Decry Meager Medical Care For Detainees In Funding Fight
Fernando Viera Reyes needed a biopsy for possible prostate cancer when the Trump administration sent him to an immigration detention center in California’s Mojave Desert. There, he waited. Reyes, now 51, made repeated requests for the procedure, according to a lawsuit filed in November against the federal government, but months went by even though there was blood in his urine — a potential sign of cancer that’s spread. (Armour, 2/25)
KFF Health News:
Listen To The Latest 'KFF Health News Minute'
Arielle Zionts reads the week’s news: Some health systems are using AI tools to help patients get primary care, and the Trump administration’s new data-sharing rules make going to the hospital more dangerous for people without legal status. (Cook, 2/24)
