NEW YORK, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Joe Biden administration is proposing a rule that would require the U.S. government to cover weight-loss drugs, potentially expanding access for millions of Americans with obesity and creating a huge new medical bill for President-elect Donald Trump, reported Bloomberg News on Tuesday.
The Medicare insurance program now pays for drugs like Novo Nordisk A/S's Ozempic and Eli Lilly & Co.'s Mounjaro for people with health conditions such as diabetes. The new rule would give an estimated 3.4 million older Americans on Medicare, and 4 million more adults in Medicaid programs for the poor, access to weight-loss treatment, the report said, citing the White House.
"The proposal would slash out-of-pocket costs by as much as 95 percent for the drugs that can carry a price tag of 1,000 U.S. dollars a month," said the report. "The thinking is that the cost would be offset by the reduced incidence of diabetes, heart conditions and other illnesses tied to obesity."
Medicare, which provides coverage to about 52 million older Americans, currently doesn't pay for related drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound for obesity. Just 13 state Medicaid programs cover the blockbuster weight-loss medications.
"The move is a victory for drugmakers Novo and Lilly, which are just emerging from shortages that have curtailed access to the brand-name medicines for the past two years," noted the report. "The booming market for obesity shots is expected to hit 130 billion dollars by 2030, and both companies have been racing to convince insurers that the drugs are worth paying for." ■
