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Trump unveils health-care plan outline as Congress wrestles over Obamacare subsidies
U.S. President Donald Trump, in front of U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., delivers remarks at the White House, in Washington, D.C., U.S., Sept. 22, 2025.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters
President Donald Trump on Thursday rolled out the broad outline of a health-care plan that the White House claims will lower drug prices and insurance premiums.
The announcement came as a congressional effort to extend key Affordable Care Act tax credits faces headwinds from Senate Republicans, leaving millions at risk of seeing their health insurance premiums spike.
The Trump administration dubbed the initiative “The Great Healthcare Plan,” the president said in a video unveiling the policy Thursday morning.
“I’m calling on Congress to pass this framework into law without delay,” Trump said. “Have to do it right now.”
The plan would codify the deals Trump recently struck with major drugmakers to slash the cost of certain prescription drugs in the U.S. by pegging them to lower prices abroad, as part of his “most-favored-nation” policy.
More than a dozen pharmaceutical companies agreed to lower prices on certain products for Medicaid patients in exchange for a three-year exemption from tariffs.
As part of those deals, companies also agreed to sell some medicines at a discount on Trump’s direct-to-consumer platform, Trump Rx.
Trump, in his video announcement, said those lower drug prices will take effect on the platform when it launches this month. He claimed that those prices would plunge by as much as 500%, even though that would mean prices would fall far below $0.
The health-care framework would “make more verified safe pharmaceutical drugs available for over-the-counter purchase,” according to a White House fact sheet.
It would also purportedly send money for health insurance coverage “directly to the American people” instead of giving “big insurance companies billions in extra taxpayer-funded subsidy payments,” the fact sheet says. Trump has repeatedly floated similar proposals in recent remarks.
The plan would additionally “fund a cost-sharing reduction program,” which the administration says would “reduce the most common Obamacare plan premiums by over 10%.”
Other components of the policy include requiring health insurers to prominently post coverage comparisons “in plain English” on their websites, along with other information about overhead costs and claim denial rates.
It would also require providers who accept either Medicare or Medicaid “to publicly and prominently post their pricing and fees to avoid surprise medical bills.”
The new proposal from the White House comes as senators remain at loggerheads on a deal to extend the now-lapsed ACA, or Obamacare, subsidies. A bipartisan group of senators has been working for weeks on a way forward, but hit a snag recently on language relating to the Hyde Amendment, a statute that bars the use of federal funds for abortion services.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt holds a press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 15, 2026.
Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters
The White House plan notably leaves out an extension of the ACA subsidies, which Democrats are demanding be extended as a part of any health-care deal. The White House had not publicly put forward a proposal until Thursday, but Trump has repeatedly said he wants funds to go directly to patients rather than insurance companies.
Some negotiators wondered whether the White House plan would hamper negotiations.
“We’ve all known that in order to be able to advance something, we’re going to have to have buy-in from the White House,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, one of the negotiators, told reporters Thursday. “Does this set things back if he signals that he does not support extending [the subsidies]? I mean, that’s the basis of our plan here.”
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., who is leading talks on the Democratic side, said Thursday that she hadn’t yet seen the Trump plan, but signaled optimism about the discussions.
“Most of the areas have agreement, so what we need to do is get bill text together and then get final sign-off so that we can talk to our colleagues about what we’re proposing,” Shaheen told reporters.
A White House official on Thursday said the plan does not close the door on extending the subsidies, but lays out the president’s preferences.
“This does not specifically address those bipartisan congressional negotiations that are going on,” the White House official said. “It does say that we have a preference that money goes to people, as opposed to insurance companies.”
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Gadkari urges shift to 100% ethanol blending, flags energy security and import risks – The Times of India
India should aim for 100 per cent ethanol blending in the near future to strengthen energy self-reliance, road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari said on Tuesday. He said that vulnerabilities in oil supplies due to the ongoing crisis in West Asia have made it essential for the country to reduce dependence on imports.Speaking at the Indian Federation of Green Energy’s Green Transport Conclave, Gadkari said, “In the near future, India should aspire to achieve 100 per cent ethanol blending… Today, we are facing an energy crisis due to the war in West Asia, so it is necessary for us to become self-reliant in the energy sector,” as quoted by PTI.India currently allows vehicles to run on E20 petrol, which contains 20 per cent ethanol, with minor engine modifications to avoid corrosion and related issues. In 2023, PM Modi launched petrol blended with 20 per cent ethanol. Countries such as Brazil have already achieved 100 per cent ethanol blending.Gadkari noted that India imports 87 per cent of its oil requirements, adding, “We import fossil fuels worth Rs 22 lakh crore, which is also causing pollution… so we need to work on increasing production of alternative fuel and bio-fuel.”On future energy solutions, he stressed the importance of green hydrogen but pointed out challenges in cost and transport. “Transport of hydrogen fuel is a problem. Also, we need to produce 1 kg of hydrogen at $1 dollar, to make India an exporter of energy,” he said, adding that hydrogen production from waste should be explored.The minister also emphasised the role of a circular economy in generating employment opportunities. While calling for reduced reliance on petrol and diesel vehicles, he clarified, “But we can not force people to stop buying petrol and diesel vehicles.”Addressing concerns about E20 fuel, Gadkari said the petroleum sector is lobbying against the move. He also urged automobile manufacturers to prioritise quality over cost to expand into new markets.Last year, Gadkari dismissed criticism against E20 (ethanol-blended petrol), saying a “paid” social media campaign is being run to “target me politically.” He said Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers and Automotive Research Association of India have shared their findings on ethanol blending in petrol. He added that India’s ethanol programme has benefited farmers, noting that ethanol made from maize has helped them get better prices and led to gains of Rs 45,000 crore.
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