CMS said April 4 it will not move forward with a Biden-era proposal to allow Medicare coverage of GLP-1 drugs when prescribed solely for weight loss.
Three notes:
1. While the agency is not currently moving forward with a proposal for Medicare to cover anti-obesity drugs for weight loss, it may revisit the policy in the future, CMS said in a fact sheet.
2. Toward the end of his term in November, former President Joe Biden issued a proposal for Medicare and Medicaid to cover GLP-1s for weight loss, a move that would have dramatically expanded access to the treatments for people with obesity. Currently, Medicare covers GLP-1s only to treat diabetes and heart disease.
3. In 2023, Medicare spent roughly $35.8 billion on 10 common diabetes drugs, including GLP-1 medications. The Congressional Budget Office previously estimated that authorizing Medicare coverage for weight loss drugs would cost the federal government around $35 billion over nine years. Such a policy would have made nearly 13 million older Americans eligible for coverage.
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