WASHINGTON — The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said on Friday it did not move forward with a proposal put forth by the Biden administration for Medicare coverage of weight-loss drugs such as Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Zepbound.
The proposal would have enabled more Americans to afford new medications in the GLP-1 class that have been shown to reduce weight by as much as 20% and prevent type 2 diabetes, but cost as much as $1,000 a month without insurance coverage.
Medicare, the government's health insurance program for people aged 65 or older or who have disabilities, currently covers the use of GLP-1 drugs such as Lilly's Mounjaro and Novo's Ozempic for conditions such as diabetes, but not the versions of those drugs that have been approved to treat obesity.
