The Trump administration is expected to announce, as early as this week, a deal with drugmakers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to lower the price of their weight loss drugs in exchange for limited Medicare coverage, according to two people familiar with the plan
Give the people what that want: increased insurance costs and limited insurance coverage for medications. EzPz /s
So would people need to be on Medicare to get these prices?
The only thing they’ve actually announced is that Medicare won’t cover the cost for everyone (just a limited number of people), and that for some people the cost will be low. They did not announce if that low cost will be for Medicare, or for people without insurance, or a private insurance.
By weight loss drugs do they mean less food?
A secondary effect of semaglutide based diabetes medicine is that it reduces your appetite and makes it easier to reduce portion sizes.
I’m glad for those that these drugs have helped. But seriously this is so low on the priority list right now I’m surprised anyone even still cares.
From an insurance perspective these drugs are one of the largest reasons for premium increases in the last couple of years. The high cost combined with the number of Americans that medically qualify to get these covered (usually requirements are just high BMI or other diabetes risks) has increased insurance costs considerably.
So if they are trying to lower insurance premiums (or keep them in check at least) this is a good way to do it.
From a Medicare perspective losing weight is one of the best preventative things you can do for long term health, so getting these covered by Medicare could easily translate to long term savings.
In my opinion, the number one health issue in America is obesity. Getting those people fit and out of medical care lowers prices and increases access for all of us.
It’s actually a big deal. Medicare currently does not cover any weight loss drugs, so getting even partial coverage is huge.
They’re also diabetes medicine.
Excerpt from mayo clinic
Semaglutide injection is used to treat type 2 diabetes. It is used together with diet and exercise to help control your blood sugar. This medicine is also used to lower the risk of heart attack, stroke, or death in patients with type 2 diabetes, obesity, and heart or blood vessel disease.
Zepbound and Wegovy are weight loss formulations, not diabetes formulations.
Zepbound is identical to Mounjaro, except Mounjaro is prescribed just for diabetes while Zepbound is prescribed for obesity and sleep apnea. Wegovy is the same drug as the diabetes medication Ozempic, but it has different dosing once you get over 1 mg.
and this is the evidence I needed to tell me these drugs are bad for me.
