Biden proposes weight loss drug coverage requirements for Medicare and Medicaid
Weight loss drugs like Wegovy, Zepbound and Ozempic would be covered by Medicare and Medicaid under a Biden administration proposal.
The Biden administration plans to require Medicare and Medicaid to offer coverage of weight loss medications for people seeking obesity treatment.
The new rule, which was proposed by the administration Tuesday, would dramatically expand access to anti-obesity medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy, from Novo Nordisk, and Mounjaro and Zepbound, from Eli Lilly.
Medicare has been barred from paying for weight loss drugs, unless they're used to treat conditions like diabetes or to manage an increased risk of heart disease. States can decide whether to cover obesity drugs under Medicaid, but the majority don't.
The Biden administration is proposing to reinterpret the law barring coverage by classifying obesity drugs as treatment for a "chronic disease," rather than as weight loss medications.
"The medical community today agrees that obesity is a chronic disease," Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure said on a call with reporters Tuesday. "These drugs are the beginning of a revolution in the way that weight is controlled."
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