Biden proposes that drugs used for weight loss be covered by Medicare and Medicaid

Outgoing President Joe Biden on Tuesday proposed making weight-loss drugs available to millions of people within the broad public health insurance program.

Currently, within Medicare and Medicaid insurance plans, drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy are only available to people who are overweight, have diabetes or heart disease, for the most part.

However, the White House announced that Biden wanted to expand their availability for cases such as treating obesity itself, extending coverage to nearly 7.5 million low-income and older Americans.

"For too many Americans, these critical treatments are too expensive and therefore out of reach. Without insurance coverage, these drugs can cost someone as much as $1,000 a month," the White House said in a statement.

In that regard, the White House maintained that at least 42% of Americans are estimated to have problems with obesity.

"Is now widely recognized as a chronic disease, with increased risk of all-cause mortality and multiple related comorbidities such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, some cancers, and more," the statement highlighted.

According to AFP estimates, more than 60 million people in the United States, mostly over the age of 65, rely on Medicare for their health insurance. Another 85 million are eligible for some form of assistance through the Medicaid plan, targeted at lower-income residents.

The news also comes at a time when Americans are concerned about the use of these drugs. A study revealed that prescriptions for weight-loss and diabetes medication for young people increased 600% since 2020. The study published in the journal JAMA, found that between 2020 and 2023, the number of prescriptions written for 12- to 25-year-olds increased from 8,722 to 60,567.