Medicare to Cover Weight Loss Drugs: A $35 Billion Deal

A recent deal will allow Medicare to cover weight loss drugs, but it comes with a hefty price tag. The prices for drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy will drop significantly when bought through Medicare and Medicaid. Ozempic will cost $350 per month instead of $1, 000, and Wegovy will be $350 instead of $1, 350. Other drugs will be even cheaper, around $145 per month. This change is set to start in January 2026. Until now, Medicare couldn't cover drugs just for weight loss. The rules have been changing because these drugs can also help with heart disease. But covering weight loss alone has been slow due to old rules and worries about costs. The deal will cost the government a lot of money. The Congressional Budget Office says it could add $35 billion to federal spending from 2026 to 2034. Each person using these drugs could cost around $5, 600 in 2026. The national debt is already over $38 trillion, and this deal might make it worse.