The Distressing Impact of Removing the "De Minimis" Tariff Exemption on Personal Prescription Imports

As we approach August 29, 2025, the impending removal of the $800 de minimis import duty exemption isn't just about tariffs on birthday dolls, inexpensive t-shirts, or kitchen appliances – it's a direct threat to life-saving, absolutely necessary medications that millions of Americans rely on for daily health maintenance.

Removal of the "de minimus" import duty exemption will "tax" patients for required care.

This federal government policy change, affecting all imported products, will hit hardest when it comes to personal prescription medication imports from Canada, where prices are far lower. This policy will essentially tax patients for their required care.

For senior citizens, those on fixed incomes, and the un- or under-insured, this isn't a minor inconvenience; it's a potential barrier to affordable care that could force immediate, heartbreaking choices.

Let's break down what this means. The de minimis exemption – Latin for "about minimal things" – has long allowed duty-free imports on items valued under $800, including pharmaceuticals for personal daily use. But an executive order signed by President Trump will eliminate this starting August 29, 2025, imposing duties on all such shipments.

The Campaign for Personal Prescription Importation (CPPI) has been closely monitoring this, and it could lead to new fees, delivery delays, and scrutiny on packages from regulated Canadian pharmacies. We don’t yet know the full mechanics – systems aren't in place to handle the many imported prescription medicine packages that cross the border each year, which are included in the more than 1.3 billion annual de minimis packages imported to the U.S.

The de minimis exemption disappearing could be in addition to new tariffs proposed to be placed on imported products of many kinds, including pharmaceuticals from Canada. The tariff situation is very complicated, with some rates set, some announced, some still under negotiation, and sliding decisions that change previously set levels. It’s a very volatile situation that CPPI continues to monitor.

Damage to the Vulnerable

Those with lower incomes are already struggling with skyrocketing U.S. drug prices – and importation of affordable drugs from Canada is their only option. The new de minimis policy has the potential to bring negative effects on patient outcomes, and is an unfortunate consequence of the new tariff policies that might otherwise provide Americans benefits in other areas.

People who import their required prescription medicines from Canada do so out of necessity. When CPPI surveyed Americans about their savings from importing their medicines from Canada, they reported this to be an average of $4,920 per year.

Imagine a senior on a fixed Social Security check, or an under-insured worker, now facing added costs to import their medications. When prescription medications become unaffordable, people resort to dangerous coping strategies: cutting pills in half, taking them every other day, or skipping doses altogether, according to a CDC-affiliated study. These actions lead to worsened health conditions, hospital visits, and even preventable deaths.

In fact, DukeHealth research showed non-adherence to taking medication as prescribed costs up to $300 billion in avoidable spending per year in the U.S. (very notable for the impacts on government-paid Medicare/Medicaid healthcare expenditures) and affects millions of Americans. Not only is this exacerbating chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension, but DukeHealth estimated non-adherence results in 125,000 deaths of Americans per year, and over 10% of all hospitalizations.

Benefits of Canadian Rx Medication Importation

For decades, millions of U.S. consumers have imported safe, but far less expensive, prescription medicines from Canada, where prices are regulated to be significantly lower than in the U.S. – often 50% to 80% less for the same brand-name drugs. These are genuine pharmaceuticals from licensed, government-approved pharmacies, and the drugs themselves are often made in the same factories where the U.S. versions are produced.

Without alternatives, especially for those needing specific brands, removing the de minimus exemption could cut off this lifeline. Ironically, this flies in the face of past Trump administration support for personal pharmaceutical importation. As President Trump stated in 2020, “We will finally allow the safe and legal importation of drugs from Canada.”

Where You Can Import Canadian Pharmaceuticals

A real solution to high U.S. pharmaceutical prices already exists: continuing to allow personal importation from legal, regulated Canadian pharmacies. With a written prescription from your doctor, you can begin to import your name-brand medicines. CPPI has a link telling how to research online Canadian pharmacies as well as a link to several dozen certified Canadian pharmacies with 100% safe records, where people in the U.S. can order their personal prescription medicines.

If you aren’t a CPPI member yet – it’s free – please visit here to join and help support our advocacy to ensure this option remains viable.

CPPI will continue to study the de minimis situation while advocating for the exemption of personal pharmaceuticals from this blanket revocation policy. Otherwise, this policy will risk harming the most vulnerable. Join us in speaking out – your health, and that of your loved ones, depends on it.