A box of Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wigovy is seen at a pharmacy in London, England on March 8, 2024.
Holly Adams | Reuters
Millions of Americans are obese. popular weight loss drugs Like Wegobee and Ozempic, which will be eligible for Medicare or Medicaid under new rules proposed by the Biden administration Tuesday morning.
expensive proposal from US Department of Health and Human Services The stage is set for a potential showdown between the powerful pharmaceutical and pharmaceutical industries. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The next president will be an outspoken opponent of weight loss drugs. donald trump’s Candidates to lead government agencies may try to block the bill.
The rule gave millions of people access to the once-weekly injectable drug, which some called a miracle drug because it helped people lose weight so quickly, but it cost taxpayers money. The burden could reach up to $35 billion over the next 10 years.
“This is a good day for people struggling with obesity,” U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in an interview with The Associated Press. “This is a game-changer for Americans who cannot otherwise afford to purchase these drugs.”
A bipartisan coalition of members of Congress is lobbying for the drug to be covered by Medicare, which could save the government from having to spend billions of dollars treating chronic diseases caused by obesity. claims. It’s unclear where President Trump himself stands on the news about weight loss drugs, but his allies and Cabinet nominees who have pledged to cut government spending may balk at the upfront price tag. There is.
Under the proposal, only people considered obese, with a BMI of 30 or higher, would be covered. If you have diabetes or are at risk for stroke or heart disease, you may already have drug coverage through Medicare or Medicaid.
Becerra estimated that an additional 3.5 million people on Medicare and 4 million people on Medicaid could become eligible for drug coverage. But according to research, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services says about 28 million people on Medicaid are considered obese, and many more could be eligible.
Medicare is prohibited from providing the drug under a decades-old law that prohibits government-backed insurance programs from covering weight loss products. But under the Biden administration’s proposed rules, obesity would be recognized as a disease that can be treated with the help of drugs.
The anti-obesity drug market has expanded significantly in recent years, and the Food and Drug Administration approve New class of weekly injectables novo nordiskWegovy and Eli LillyZepbound to treat obesity.
Taking this drug may cause you to lose 15% to 25% of your body weight. The drug mimics a hormone that communicates the feeling of fullness between the intestines and the brain and regulates appetite when humans eat.
The drug is expensive and is only available to the wealthy, including celebrities who boast about its effectiveness. Wegovy costs $1,300 a month, while Zepbound costs $1,000. Supply is also limited due to drug shortages.
Kennedy, President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, is subject to Senate confirmation, but he slammed the popularity of drugs. He has said in speeches and on social media that the U.S. should not cover drugs through Medicaid or Medicare. Instead, he supports broader coverage of healthier foods and gym memberships.
“Half the price of an Ozempic could buy every American regeneratively raised organic food, three meals a day for every obese American, and a gym membership for every obese American,” President Kennedy said at a roundtable earlier this year. told a group of federal lawmakers.
