OPINION:
As a high school student, I have seen few presidential administrations take real action to improve the daily lives of students like me.
Most politicians talk about “education reform” but ignore the basic health issues that keep students from learning effectively. President Trump’s new effort to slash prescription drug prices is one of the most consequential health care actions in recent history and one that directly affects the health, focus and academic performance of millions of young Americans.
The Trump administration’s “most-favored-nation” drug pricing agreements with pharmaceutical giants Lilly and Novo Nordisk mark a historic step in bringing affordability to medications that were once out of reach for ordinary families. Through the new TrumpRx program, the monthly prices of leading drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy — medications used to treat diabetes, obesity and related heart conditions — will fall from $1,000 and $1,350, respectively, per month to $350.
For new or soon-to-be-approved drugs such as Zepbound and Orforglipron, the price will drop from more than $1,000 to an average of $346. If the Food and Drug Administration later approves the Wegovy pill, the initial dose will cost just $150 per month through TrumpRx.
These changes represent savings of more than 100%, and, for the first time, Medicare and Medicaid will be able to cover these obesity drugs at prices taxpayers can sustain. Under Mr. Trump’s plan, the Medicare price for Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound will be $245, less than half the level proposed under the Biden administration. State Medicaid programs will have access to the same reduced prices, and Medicare patients will pay just $50 per month out of pocket.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 40% of American adults are obese, a condition that raises the risk of diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers. About 19.7% of children, roughly 14.7 million, meet the clinical definition of obesity. The estimated annual medical cost of childhood obesity exceeded $1.3 billion in 2019 dollars, or $116 more per child each year than children of a healthy weight.
Behind these statistics are millions of students who struggle to stay focused in class, manage fatigue and maintain good mental health, all of which affect academic outcomes.
By cutting drug prices so dramatically, Mr. Trump has made medications that can manage or reverse obesity affordable for families who once could not even consider them.
The agreements also extend to other essential medicines. Lilly will now provide Emgality, a migraine treatment, at $299 per pen, $443 below the list price, and Trulicity, a diabetes drug, at $389 per month, $598 below its original cost. Novo Nordisk will provide insulin products such as NovoLog and Tresiba for just $35 per month. For many families, that is the difference between maintaining treatment and skipping doses.
Just as important is where these drugs will be produced. Under Mr. Trump’s leadership, both Lilly and Novo Nordisk have committed massive investments to U.S. manufacturing — $27 billion and $10 billion, respectively — ensuring that future supply chains are secure and jobs remain in America. The U.S. learned the danger of relying on foreign pharmaceutical production during the pandemic emergency.
Mr. Trump’s approach strengthens the domestic manufacturing base while lowering consumer costs, a rare combination of economic and moral clarity.
Every dollar a family saves on medicine is a dollar that can go toward education, child care or food. For low-income and working-class families, including many of my peers, these savings determine whether a child can stay in a tutoring program or afford a balanced diet.
Mr. Trump’s proactive agenda for students stands in stark contrast to that of Democratic-led states. Despite New York’s spending of $41,000 per pupil, only 28% of its eighth-graders are proficient in math. Chronic absenteeism affects 35% of students, and middle-class families trapped in underperforming districts are denied school choice options.
Mr. Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which includes the Educational Choice for Children Act, provides $5 billion annually in tax credit scholarships to help those families seek better education. Just as his drug price reform targets unfair costs in health care, his school choice plan targets unfair barriers in education.
Mr. Trump’s reforms recognize that students’ futures depend not just on classrooms but also on the systems that shape their well-being. If a student cannot access basic health care or focus because of chronic illness, no amount of state spending will improve their test scores. If parents cannot choose the right school, no bureaucratic promise will guarantee opportunity.
For decades, Washington has treated health care, education and economics as separate issues. Mr. Trump’s agenda connects them. By lowering drug costs, reshoring pharmaceutical production and expanding school choice, he is addressing the root causes that hold back young Americans.
Having spent years in a system that overlooked my medical and educational needs, I view these reforms as long overdue. When a president enacts policies that help students live healthier, learn better and dream bigger, the nation’s future becomes stronger and more prosperous.
• Gregory Lyakhov is the youngest nationally syndicated columnist in the U.S., driving conversations on education reform as an advocate for school choice and student-centered learning.
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