{"id":89407,"date":"2026-07-01T06:18:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T10:18:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/medicare-now-covers-weight-loss-drugs-for-millions-of-older-americans-at-50-month\/"},"modified":"2026-07-01T06:18:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T10:18:08","slug":"medicare-now-covers-weight-loss-drugs-for-millions-of-older-americans-at-50-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/medicare-now-covers-weight-loss-drugs-for-millions-of-older-americans-at-50-month\/","title":{"rendered":"Medicare Now Covers Weight-Loss Drugs for Millions of Older Americans at $50\/Month"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n

Millions of older Americans who have been priced out of popular obesity medications will now have a new option starting Wednesday, as a federal Medicare pilot program begins offering GLP-1 weight-loss drugs for just $50 per month.<\/p>

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is launching an 18-month trial that, for the first time, will cover Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Foundayo and Zepbound as standalone weight-loss treatments. Previously, Medicare \u2014 which also covers people with disabilities \u2014 was prohibited from covering these drugs for weight loss alone, only paying for them when prescribed alongside conditions like cardiovascular disease or severe fatty liver disease.<\/p>

A U.S. official recently said eligible patients are estimated to be in the single-digit millions, though executives from Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk have cited estimates as high as 20 million people qualifying. Health research organization KFF put the figure closer to nearly 4 million, based on 2023 data. Wall Street analysts say the program could generate billions of dollars in revenue for the pharmaceutical companies involved.<\/p>

The $50-a-month price tag is a dramatic change from what patients have faced in recent years. Branded versions of these drugs can cost anywhere from $149 to $399 a month through the manufacturers directly, or even more at retail pharmacies.<\/p>

For people like Katie Smith, 71, a retired teacher from Manassas, Virginia, the new program is long overdue. Her doctor had already prescribed a GLP-1 drug, but the cost at her local pharmacy was out of reach.<\/p>

","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A new Medicare pilot program launching Wednesday will allow millions of Americans aged 65 and older to access popular obesity medications for just $50 a month. The 18-month trial marks the first time Medicare has covered these drugs solely for weight loss, offering three pathways to qualify. Doctors are welcoming the change but warn the approval process may be slow and express concern about what happens when the program ends in 2027.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":89406,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[837],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-89407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1782901088487.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-ng3","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":60548,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/medicare-to-cover-weight-loss-diabetes-medications-starting-this-summer\/","url_meta":{"origin":89407,"position":0},"title":"Medicare to Cover Weight-Loss, Diabetes Medications Starting This Summer","author":"Admin","date":"May 1, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"President Trump announced Friday that the federal government will begin covering GLP-1 weight-loss and diabetes medications for Medicare recipients. The coverage expansion is set to take effect July 1st.","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1777670585721.jpg?fit=450%2C298&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":68330,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/high-court-turns-away-drug-company-challenge-to-medicare-price-talks\/","url_meta":{"origin":89407,"position":1},"title":"High Court Turns Away Drug Company Challenge to Medicare Price Talks","author":"Admin","date":"May 18, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Supreme Court declined to hear pharmaceutical companies' legal challenge to a federal program that allows Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices. 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