President Biden Proposes Medicare And Medicaid Cover Costly WeightLoss Drugs For Millions Of Obese Americans
Nov 26, 2024
FILE - The injectable drug Ozempic is shown Saturday, July 1, 2023, in Houston. Even as millions of older adults clamor for drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy, monthly use of the medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists soared nearly 600% between 2020 and 2023 in people under 25 – and as young as 12. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of obese Americans would be eligible to have popular weight-loss drugs like Wegovy or Ozempic covered by Medicare or Medicaid under a new rule the Biden administration proposed Tuesday morning.
The proposal, which would not be finalized until after President-elect Donald Trump takes office, could cost taxpayers as much as $35 billion over the next decade.
It would give millions of people access to weekly injectables that have helped people shed pounds so quickly that some people have labeled them miracle drugs.