Biden proposes Medicare, Medicaid cover weight-loss drugs – Politics – News
The Biden administration issued a new proposal Tuesday that would allow millions of Americans to obtain weight-loss drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound under Medicare or Medicaid.
The costly proposal from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will likely lead to a fight between the pharmaceutical industry and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an outspoken critic of weight-loss drugs, who will be in a position to block the measure as the next potential leader of the HHS agency.
The new law would give millions of people access to weekly injectables for rapid weight loss, though it could cost taxpayers an eyewatering sum of nearly $35 billion over the next decade.
Xavier Becerra, secretary of HHS, told A.P. that the new law would be a “game changer for Americans who can’t afford these drugs otherwise,” particularly for those who are considered obese.
The law would not be finalized until January after President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
A bipartisan coalition in Congress has lobbied for the drugs to be covered by Medicare, arguing it would save the government from spending billions of dollars on treating chronic illnesses that stem from obesity.
Only those who are considered obese would qualify for coverage under the proposal.
Some people with diabetes or who are at risk for stroke or heart disease may already get coverage of the drugs through Medicare or Medicaid.
An estimated 3.5 million additional people on Medicare and 4 million additional people on Medicaid will qualify, Becerra said.
Medicare cannot offer the drugs under a decades-old law that prohibits the government-backed insurance program from covering weight-loss products.
Biden’s proposal would subvert the law by recognizing obesity as a disease that can be treated with assistance from drugs.
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People can lose up to 15% to 25% of their body weight on approved weight-loss drugs, which imitate the hormones that regulate appetites to make people feel satiated sooner.
However, the drugs cost a pretty penny and have already experienced shortages due to popular demand and limited supply.
A monthly supply of Wegovy costs $1,300 and for Zepbound costs $1,000.
Kennedy has advocated against the use of the drug and does not believe it should be covered by government insurance because he believes in an entirely different approach to addressing the obesity epidemic.
“For half the price of Ozempic, we could purchase regeneratively raised, organic food for every American, three meals a day and a gym membership, for every obese American,” Kennedy said to a group of federal lawmakers earlier this year.
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