Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) said a law signed by President Donald Trump a year earlier has already pushed large numbers of children off Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program across dozens of states.
Her warning comes as she is also challenging Trump’s health-cost messaging, including his claims that TrumpRx is lowering drug costs.
Warren’s Stark Claims On Children’s Coverage Loss
Warren said in a post on social media platform X that children losing coverage spans from smaller tallies such as Hawaii (1,366) and Maine (1,910) to much larger drops including California (382,776), Texas (190,956), and Indiana (174,016).
Several other states were listed with six-figure counts, including Florida (121,219), Georgia (93,697), Illinois (92,727), and Ohio (80,467), alongside Arizona (74,680) and Virginia (67,520).
Warren’s post also cited Kentucky (60,522), North Carolina (58,250), Pennsylvania (55,519), Michigan (50,421), and South Carolina (49,298) as additional states where the number of children losing coverage reached into the tens of thousands.
A year ago, Donald Trump signed a bill to slash health care for millions of Americans, including children.
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) July 4, 2026
Here’s how many kids have lost Medicaid and CHIP because of Donald Trump so far.
Alabama: 5,663 kids
Alaska: 12,388 kids
Arizona: 74,680 kids
Arkansas: 10,523 kids…
Both the coverage-loss figures and the TrumpRx debate affect families’ out-of-pocket health spending and their confidence that federal health policy claims match real-world results.
In February this year, Trump launched TrumpRx.gov alongside Mehmet Oz and Joe Gebbia, saying people will "save a lot of money and be healthy." The site does not dispense medicines; it points users to discounted prices and lets them print coupons for pharmacies or manufacturers’ sites.
Is TrumpRx Truly Benefiting American Families?
Warren’s criticism of Trump’s cost-cutting rhetoric has also centered on a separate claim that TrumpRx is lowering drug costs by 600%, which she argued cannot be squared with basic math. In a video posted to X, she used a full glass of water to illustrate her argument and said, "Unfortunately, Trump’s promise to lower costs is as empty as this glass."
TrumpRx’s launch inventory included 40 medicines from five companies under most-favored-nation pricing arrangements: AstraZeneca PLC (NYSE:AZN), Eli Lilly & Co. (NYSE:LLY), EMD Serono (a Merck KGaA unit), Novo Nordisk AS (NYSE:NVO), and Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE).
The list later grew to 54 drugs after Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN) and GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) joined in March. Amgen’s listing included Amjevita at $299 compared with $1,484, described as an 80% reduction.
The Controversial Drug Pricing Strategy Explained
Industry voices have offered mixed reactions to the approach, including billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban, who said in March the program was "saving patients money on IVF and a few other drugs. A lot of money." Cuban also urged critics to give the effort time.
PhRMA CEO Stephen Ubl has warned that government-set MFN-style pricing could curb drug development and deepen dependence on China, while Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) CEO Vas Narasimhan called MFN pricing a "very difficult situation" and cautioned that the long-run effects for manufacturers and patient access could be meaningful.
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
