US President Joe Biden will propose expanding coverage of anti-obesity drugs for millions of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, which could reduce some patients’ out-of-pocket costs by up to 95%, a US government announced Tuesday. White House spokesperson.
This would allow more Americans to access new weight-loss medications that can help prevent type 2 diabetes and reduce the risk of death and heart attacks by up to 20 percent, but cost up to $1,000 a month without insurance coverage.
Current rules for the government health insurance programs Medicare and Medicaid cover the use of drugs such as Mounjaro, Ozempic and Wegovy for certain conditions such as diabetes, but not for obesity as a disease itself.
A new proposed rule, to be released by the Department of Health and Human Services later Tuesday, would require Medicare to cover these drugs as an obesity treatment, expanding access to about 3.4 million Americans with Medicare.
It would also guarantee access to medications for about 4 million adults enrolled in Medicaid, according to the White House spokesman.
Reuters reported earlier this month that intense demand for anti-obesity drugs has led to supply problems, with many patients turning to cheaper versions sold online.
Democrat Biden has made great efforts to reduce the cost of health care and prescription drugs, such as capping the cost of insulin at $35 for seniors on Medicare and enacting a $2,000 cap for out-of-pocket expenses on prescription drugs for the same group.
Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act also required pharmaceutical companies to negotiate drug prices with Medicare, which covers 66 million people. The first price cuts for 10 drugs were announced in August, ranging between 38% and 79% and starting in 2026.
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