Medicare won't cover obesity meds?!

T

True_Coffee330

Well-known member
Looks like the previous administration decided not to broaden Medicare and Medicaid coverage for weight-loss drugs, according to the Wall Street Journal. I read that the current admin wanted to cover these meds, but now it's off the table (dated April 4th, 2025).
 
Big Pharma's not happy, because they can't charge outrageous prices to a huge customer, lol.

Here's an idea: Medicare should negotiate prices, then decide if coverage is worth it if the drug companies agree to deal. Imagine how many people would qualify! Medicare could get a great deal. It's mind-blowing that corporations have so much influence that this isn't allowed.
 
Maybe Trump, who loves making deals, will negotiate with the drug companies to get a lower price for the US government (or even better, both the government and private insurance companies). If the cost per patient is low enough, the government and insurance companies might actually save money in the long run. The drug companies that invested in these drugs would still get rewarded, so they'd be willing to keep investing in weight-loss drugs.
 
It might have been. My retirement fund has taken a hit recently, so I'm not exactly a Trump fan right now.

Still, he might surprise us and do something good regarding GLP-1 drugs.
 
Genuine question: Who pays for increased tariffs? Who gets those payments? Where does the money come from?

I'm curious how people understand these details, especially those who only participate in right-leaning information sources (no offense, the left has its own echo chambers).
 
It comes from us, the consumers, of course. And we'll change what we buy if we can.

“selected to participate only in the right’s information ecosystem “
No.
I'm from Louisiana and connected to farming and fishing. For years, local leaders have tried to sell more farm goods to other countries, but trade has been hard.
The seafood industry is struggling because Asia is selling cheap seafood here that's raised in nasty conditions. Shrimp boats cost a lot, and diesel prices are high, so many people are wondering if it's even worth it. They're trying to label local seafood better, so people can choose between cheap foreign seafood and local, higher-quality products.
We've seen all this for a long time. The media just didn't care to report it, so you didn't hear about it perhaps.
Did you care when the stock market crashed in 2008? We all did, especially those near retirement. Did that administration get bashed then? No. Creative lending practices were blamed on "Wall Street."
I like having a business person in charge who's been paying attention to all this and trying to fix things.
New jobs don't just appear overnight. It takes years.
I hope it all works out for everyone.
The media won't be optimistic, though.
 
We've been paying tariffs to other countries for ages without them doing the same. Yeah, the new tariffs will hurt at first, but this system didn't get messed up overnight, and it won't be fixed overnight either. For example: we've been paying Vietnam tariffs on clothes and shoes for years. After Trump's tariffs, Vietnam wants to drop their tariffs too. That's how it's supposed to work.
 
@HeartCake Thanks for answering; it's interesting to see how different information leads people to different conclusions.

I was trying to avoid partisan arguments, but it seems like that's where we're headed (my comment didn't help). Two people have supported this policy after criticism, so I think it's a good time to stop.

Your local newspaper probably has people arguing about this; you can join them there. Or, if you're really into it, try Nextdoor.
HeartCake said:
“selected to participate only in the right’s information ecosystem “
Click to expand...
 
I totally understand the frustration about insurance coverage. I saw someone on Reddit say their insurance suddenly wanted prior authorization after months of using a GLP-1 successfully. They'd lost almost 70 pounds! The insurance denied it even with the doctor's info. Ridiculous!
 
HeartCake said:
...insurance suddenly wanted prior authorization after months of using a GLP-1 successfully. They'd lost almost 70 pounds! The insurance denied it even with the doctor's info. Ridiculous!
Click to expand...
They might deny it now because the person's A1C has improved. It's still diabetes! Sounds like the insurance is trying to wear them down so they give up. Don't let them!
 
It's insane how different healthcare is in the US. I read about someone in Germany paying about $180 a month out-of-pocket for a GLP-1. We are really on our own here trying to figure out how to pay for our health.
 
For those having trouble with insurance coverage, I saw a Reddit post with some options to explore if you have to pay cash. Might be worth checking out if you're in a bind.
 
From what I understand Medicare beneficiaries end up paying much higher out-of-pocket for these medications compared to people whose regular insurance doesn't cover them. Wonder if the manufacturers set it that way intentionally or if something in U.S. law requires it.
 
Is it just me or is it mostly Americans who won't tell their doctor about grey-market GLP stuff? Sounds like there's real consequences with insurance and medical confidentiality goes out the window for profit. Australia's mixed but at least basic care's state-funded, usually cheapest.
 
restarted after 6 months off (insurance stopped) and i'm so nauseous suddenly. fine all day then throwing up out of nowhere. don't think i'm overeating. does this stop? what's everyone doing to handle theirs?
 
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