Trump officials plan to cover weight loss medications under medical care and medicaid | Trump administration
The Trump administration plans for a experimental program to cover “miracle” weight losses under government health insurance systems for low and retired income persons, medicaid and medicare, in a move aimed at addressing the problem of chronic obesity in the United States.
Such a plan was proposed by the Biden administration in its last months before Donald Trump re -inserted the White House after winning a second term in the 2024 elections.
The Trump administration is now plans to have a five -year experience where the Medicaid program and Medicair Covering Plans will be the option to cover the cost of selling medicines under the names of OzemPIC, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound for “weight management” purposes, Washington Post mentioned On Friday morning, quoting documents from the government centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS).
This type of medicine, known as the GLP-1 drugs and is originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes, is popular for its ability to reduce body weight by suppressing appetite and slow digestion.
However, its high cost, which ranges between $ 5,000 and $ 7,000 a year, has raised concerns about the ability to bear the long -term costs, and this plan is now looking by Donald Trump will come at a huge cost of the public wallet.
The insurance coverage of such medications is currently approved when patients have other cases often associated with obesity, such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
The report said that the proposed new plan will allow the Medicare Part D to cover the GLP-1 voluntary drugs, including those in market leaders Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly.
Lilly and Novo are pioneering in the drug loss market, which some analysts expect to bring more than $ 150 billion in the next decade. Night shares increased by approximately 2 % in the pre -market trade on Friday.
The initiative is scheduled to start in April 2026 for Medicaid and January 2027 for medical care. If the road is wiped, this shift in federal policy will be smelled after the administration said earlier this year that the programs will not cover weight loss medications.
Lilly and Novo did not respond to Medicare & Medicaid service centers, to request Reuters to comment.
The plan can display the division between the CMS Mehmet Oz president, who was praised by such medications, and the Minister of Health Robert F. Kennedy Junior, who criticized his high cost and how They are not so An alternative to a healthy lifestyle.