- ZorroRX Round Up
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- Trade Policy Delays Prescriptions Ordered from Abroad, Big Insurers Join TrumpRx for PR Points, and Actuaries Refuse to Calculate Inconvenient Savings
Trade Policy Delays Prescriptions Ordered from Abroad, Big Insurers Join TrumpRx for PR Points, and Actuaries Refuse to Calculate Inconvenient Savings
Hey all,
Happy Tuesday! Major insurers like Cigna are rushing to join the TrumpRx fertility initiative with great fanfare, which would be more impressive if they were actually major players in fertility coverage—turns out political photo ops are easier than substantive benefit design changes. Meanwhile, New Jersey’s actuarial consultant Aon suddenly can’t verify savings from the exact same cost-containment strategies they’ve modeled and marketed to other clients, proving that data-driven reform is wonderful in theory but remarkably difficult to calculate when it might actually require someone to act on it. The pattern here is clear: everyone loves transparency and cost savings right up until the moment those things might disrupt existing arrangements, at which point sudden technical difficulties tend to emerge.
Enjoy the rundown!
Jacob Brody (Co-Founder & CEO, ZorroRX)
(The Washington Post) U.S. Trade Policy Impact on Imported Prescription Drugs
The Trump administration’s recent trade policies are making it harder for Americans—especially seniors—to buy affordable prescription drugs from abroad. Ending the “de minimis” tariff exemption has triggered new customs fees, shipment delays, and confusion for millions who depend on Canadian or overseas pharmacies for lower-cost medicine. I ordered a “2-day express” shipment from Canada on October 3rd — but apparently U.S. Customs decided my meds needed a nice long vacation in Memphis’ Fed Ex customs hub first since it hasn’t been delivered yet. Full Article
(BenefitsPRO) Cigna Joins TrumpRx Fertility Drug Effort
Cigna’s Evernorth unit announced it will participate in President Trump’s new TrumpRx.gov initiative, offering discounted access to fertility drugs like Gonal-F, Cetrotide, and Ovidrel through its Freedom Fertility and VFP Pharmacy Group. The collaboration, alongside CVS’s participation, aims to make IVF treatments more affordable ahead of the site’s January 2026 launch and during the critical open enrollment season. Yet observers note that BUCAH insurers—Blue Cross, UnitedHealth, Cigna, Aetna, and Humana—aren’t major fertility players, suggesting their sudden enthusiasm for TrumpRx may be more about political goodwill than pure altruism. Full Article
(LinkedIn – Chris Deacon) New Jersey SHBP Reform and Aon’s Actuarial Refusal
Labor unions in New Jersey proposed a series of data-driven reforms to the State Health Benefits Program (SHBP) for FY2026—including reference-based pricing, site-neutral payments, and clinical-effectiveness formularies—to combat rising healthcare costs, but Aon, the state’s actuarial consultant, declined to verify projected savings, citing time constraints. Deacon argues this refusal is politically motivated rather than technical, noting Aon has modeled similar reforms and verified significant savings for other clients, suggesting the state may be avoiding acknowledgment of potential hundreds of millions in recoverable costs. Hard to believe Aon can brag in marketing materials about modeling massive savings with these same actuarial tools—then suddenly develop a case of selective amnesia when asked to run the exact same numbers for New Jersey. Full Article