Washington DC - Donald Trump on Friday said he will urge health insurance executives to voluntarily lower costs, as millions of Americans brace for a surge in premiums that could prove politically damaging for Republicans.

The president put forth the off-the-cuff idea during his announcement that nine more pharmaceutical companies were signing on to his push to cut some US drug prices.

The Republican posited that the approach could work to bring health costs down, too.

"This is just an idea that I had standing here," Trump said. "I bet you if I called a meeting of the insurance companies, the companies that are involved with health care costs, I would be willing to bet, I think, that they would reduce their prices."

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The announcement reflects growing concern within Trump's own party over how soaring healthcare costs could haunt Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections.

At year's end, subsidies under the Affordable Care Act will expire, after lawmakers failed to reach a deal to extend them. Cash-strapped families will no longer receive health care financial assistance and could see their premiums soar – or be priced out of medical care entirely.

Meanwhile, Trump has been announcing pricing deals with drug companies, convincing them to commit to "Most Favored Nation" pricing: matching the lowest price offered in other wealthy nations.

The companies added to the list are Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Genentech, Gilead Sciences, GSK, Merck, Novartis, and Sanofi.

The agreement follows similar accords announced in recent months, including by Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Novo Nordisk, bringing the total number so far to 14.

The lowered rates will be charged to Medicaid, officials said, the US health insurance program for low-income Americans, which already must get the lowest drug prices in the US.

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Some drugs will also be available via websites – which patients are set to be able to find via the yet-to-launch TrumpRx site – for direct purchase.

In a briefing, officials said they expect TrumpRx to be up and running in January.

Companies have been making these voluntary deals after Trump sent a letter to 17 major companies over the summer demanding lower drug prices. In exchange, drugmakers have received incentives, including tariff relief.

Sky-high drug prices are a perennial source of widespread ire in the US, and have sparked numerous legislative and administrative actions the impact of which can be difficult to determine.