knowledge -WSS

knowledge

author：fashion 2025-09-27 12:36:27 - browse：9

RHONA WISE/AFP via Getty Images

WASHINGTON — Drugmakers are doing everything to tap the bottomless well of demand for new obesity drugs, and they might get some government help. The agency that regulates Obamacare insurance is considering a technical change that would require insurers to cover obesity drugs in a market of more than 20 million Americans.

Weight loss drugs are a blessing for patients, a boon for drugmakers, and a potentially huge expense for insurers and taxpayers. Insurers have been slow to cover the drugs, called GLP-1 agonists, and without insurance, it costs upward of $16,000 annually for a drug that must be taken indefinitely.

There is a lot of demand for the drugs, but there are barriers to coverage. Medicare by law is prohibited from paying for obesity drugs. State Medicaid programs don’t have to cover them, so most don’t.

Get unlimited access to award-winning journalism and exclusive events.

Subscribe Log In

Previous article： Sports medicine is finally prioritizing gender equality
Next article： Anthony Fauci pushes back on GOP claims during Covid hearing

WSS

Independent physicians launch a new lobbying group

Medicare Advantage today, explained in one chart

ASCO Takeaways: Winners, snoozers, and the art of cancer care

Test for long Covid? Researchers find new clue in blood samples

How digital therapeutics firms are pivoting after Pear's bankruptcy

Readout Newsletter: BridgeBio, Madrigal, and Silicon Valley Bank

explore

knowledge

explore

ChatGPT in medicine: STAT answers readers' burning questions

FDA clears AI tool for detecting skin cancer

Medicare proposal to cover medical devices draws a mixed reaction

Senators tussle over abortion against the backdrop of a presidential campaign

The cancer drug shortage isn’t new — and neither are the solutions

UnitedHealth CEO's Medicaid comments send insurer stocks diving

Continuity nursing helped my family in our darkest PICU moments

FDA approves Moderna’s RSV vaccine, its second licensed product

Wildfire smoke exposes gaps in outdoor worker protections

Research misconduct: Proposed new rules face resistance

hotspot

Structure Therapeutics oral GLP

Senators tussle over abortion against the backdrop of a presidential campaign

NIH director takes cautious approach to Biden drug pricing priority

How CO2 helps viruses stay alive longer in the air

Francis Collins on trust in science and how Covid communications failed

Parkinson’s finding may lead to tests and, someday, treatments

hotspot

focus

explore

hotspot