Trump administration nixes plan to cover anti-obesity drugs through
Medicare
[April 05, 2025]
By TOM MURPHY
President Donald Trump’s administration has decided not to cover
expensive, high-demand obesity treatments under the federal government's
Medicare program.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said late Friday that it
would not cover the medications under Medicare’s Part D prescription
drug coverage. Medicare covers health care expenses mainly for people
age 65 and older.
Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, proposed a rule in late November after
Trump won re-election that would have extended coverage of drugs like
Zepbound and Wegovy. The rule was not expected to be finalized until
Trump took office.
Trump returned to office in January. The Senate confirmed Dr. Mehmet Oz
to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Thursday.
CMS did not offer an explanation Friday for its decision, and federal
spokespeople did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Trump's Health and Human Services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has
been an outspoken opponent of the injectable drugs, which have exploded
in popularity due to the potentially life-changing weight loss that some
patients experience.
Polls show Americans favor having Medicaid and Medicare cover the costs.
But many insurers, employers and other bill payers have been reluctant
to pay for the drugs, which can be used by a wide swath of the
population and can cost hundreds of dollars a month.
[to top of second column]
|
Donna Cooper holds up a dosage of Wegovy, a drug used for weight
loss, at her home in Front Royal, Va., on Friday, March 1, 2024. (AP
Photo/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades, File)
 Biden's proposal was expensive: It
would have included coverage for all state- and federally funded
Medicaid programs for people with low incomes, costing taxpayers as
much as $35 billion over next decade.
Proponents of the coverage have argued that treating obesity can
actually reduce longer-term costs by cutting down on heart attacks
and other expensive health complications that can arise from the
disease.
The benefits consultant Mercer has said that 44% of U.S. companies
with 500 or more employees covered obesity drugs last year.
Medicare does pay for drugs like Wegovy for patients who have heart
disease and need to reduce their risk of future heart attacks,
strokes and other serious problems. The federal program also covers
versions of the drugs that treat diabetes.
More than a dozen state Medicaid programs already cover the drugs
for obesity.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
