Medicare, Medicaid plans to experiment with covering weight loss drugs

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Washington Post

WP EXCLUSIVE
Medicare, Medicaid plans to experiment with covering weight loss drugs

The Trump administration is planning an experiment to cover weight loss drugs under Medicare and Medicaid, potentially benefiting millions of Americans struggling with obesity.

Updated
August 1, 2025
By Paige Winfield Cunningham

Some obese Americans on Medicare and Medicaid could get access to expensive weight loss drugs under a five-year experiment being planned by the Trump administration.

Under the proposed plan, state Medicaid programs and Medicare Part D insurance plans will be able to voluntarily choose to cover Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound for patients for “weight management” purposes, according to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services documents obtained by The Washington Post.

{snip}

By Paige Winfield Cunningham
Paige Winfield Cunningham is a national health reporter. Reach her on Signal at @paigewcunningham.82.follow on X@pw_cunningham

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/08/01/medicare-medicaid-weight-loss-drugs/

[bucolic_frolic]

1. WTF?

They go to all the bother of removing food dyes. But instead of going after sugar and carbs, they go for weight loss drugs.

There seems no rhyme or reason in anything they do.

[Yonnie3]

2. ".... insurance plans will be able to voluntarily choose to cover ..."

or not.

I suppose that they could do a long term cost versus benefit analysis. My feeling is that the insurance companies rarely view other than the short term cost.

[marble falls]

6. Hey Yonnie! Long time, no see, howa ya doin'?

[Yonnie3]

8. Ok!

It is a good day. The birds are singing, the dog is playful, the pantry and freezer are well stocked. I'm going to head out to pickup some groceries and other items mid-day.

[marble falls]

11. Sounds just like a good day to me!

[Phoenix61]

3. My guess is it would be cheaper for them to cover the

drugs than cover the complications of obesity.

[marble falls]

5. My guess would be to prevent obesity as opposed to "fixing" it.

[Phoenix61]

10. That is, of course, the best solution but not any

help for those who are already obese. The question is should they have the opportunity to try a medication that has been successful for others or will only people with the financial resources to buy it have access to it.

[marble falls]

4. Shouldn't we be doingsomething with the food deserts in the country, and feed the hungry before we put ...

... "medicines" that cause weight loss on the same Medicare/Medicade program he seeks to destroy??????

[Bengus81]

7. Medicare is jacking the premium next year so much my SS payment might actually go down

for the first time EVER. I think the SS raise will be 2.5% or 2.7%. Groceries are still going up,gas here is up 40 cents per gallon since Fat Hoover took over. Utility costs are through the roof and we have a new rate increase that starts in Sept. It never FUCKING ends.....

But they want to see if they can make Ozempic affordable?

[I_UndergroundPanther]

9. Fat phobia

Runs deep in America.
Trump hates fat women
This double standard regarding weight and fat phobia has to die.

Those weight loss meds are rough to take and tough on your body. You can never stop taking it or the weight comes back. The social pressure to be thin will kill some of the desperate people that take those drugs.