WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is proposing a major expansion of how Medicare and Medicaid cover the blockbuster weight loss drugs Wegovy and Zepbound, the White House announced Tuesday.
Medicare currently covers the medications, made by Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, to treat diabetes and heart disease, but not for obesity alone because it’s prohibited by law from doing so. Medicare officials are aiming to expand coverage to all people with obesity in Medicare and Medicaid by reinterpreting the law.
The future of the policy is precarious, given the Biden administration waited so long to start the policymaking process that the incoming Trump administration would have to finalize it. The abrupt shift on weight loss drugs comes too late for President Biden or Vice President Harris to benefit politically, but could create some public pressure for the new Trump team to carry it forward.
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