White House proposes lowering obesity drug costs

The Biden administration on Tuesday proposed federal rules to lower the cost of prescription drugs for people on Medicare or Medicaid. The move comes amid the increasing popularity of weight-loss drug brands such as Ozempic and Wegovy. Anti-obesity medications can reduce the risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular ailments by up to 20 percent, the Biden administration said. Weight loss can also prevent the development of Type 2 diabetes. Even so, many Americans struggling with obesity are unable to afford the new drugs, according to the White House.

The rule would cost taxpayers as much as $35 billion from 2026 to 2034, according to an estimate from the Congressional Budget Office. The plan would not take effect until after Trump takes office, meaning that he could stop it. The President-elect did not immediately comment on the plan Tuesday morning.

How many Americans would this affect? Approximately two out of every five adults in the United States—roughly 100 million Americans—were obese in 2020, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The new proposal would grant roughly 7.4 million Medicare and Medicaid users the ability to access the drugs, the White House said.

Dig deeper: Read Heather Frank’s report in WORLD Magazine about the health benefits and risks of weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy.