By Alex Moore
In November, former President Biden proposed expanding anti-obesity drugs, like Wegovy, for people with Medicare and Medicaid coverage. These drugs are currently only covered for people who use them to treat other conditions, like diabetes and heart disease. However, the change faces a threat from the incoming administration.
The new administration’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has expressed skepticism about the drug in his pledge to tackle chronic diseases like diabetes and obesity.
“We’re spending $1,600 a month on this drug, there’s a bill right now before Congress that will make it available to everybody who is overweight, which is 74 percent of the American population,” he told Fox News in October. “That alone will cost $3 trillion a year. If we spend about one fifth of that giving good food, three meals a day to every man, woman, and child in our country, we can solve the obesity and diabetes epidemic overnight for a tiny fraction of the cost.”
Moving forward, it will be important to see how this saga plays out. Will the incoming administration yield to Kennedy Jr.’s preference and prefer to help reduce obesity and chronic diseases through primarily nutrition and exercise, or will it make the popular drugs available to seniors via Medicare and Medicaid?
However you feel, we encourage you to get involved in this important issue. Write to your Congressional representative person and encourage them to work on legislation that helps seniors manage their health and show them that your voice matters. And take our 2025 Senior Survey and let your voice be heard.
