{"id":480886,"date":"2026-06-16T23:07:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T23:07:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/480886\/"},"modified":"2026-06-16T23:07:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T23:07:13","slug":"up-to-14m-medicare-patients-could-be-eligible-for-glp-1s-for-just-50-a-month-heres-who-qualifies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/480886\/","title":{"rendered":"Up to 14M Medicare patients could be eligible for GLP-1s for just $50 a month \u2014 here’s who qualifies"},"content":{"rendered":"

Millions of Medicare patients will be eligible for GLP-1 weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy<\/a> at a cut-rate $50 per month under an upcoming government program.<\/p>\n

Up to 14 million Medicare recipients are overweight and could qualify for the discounted drug program \u2014 known as the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge \u2014 which rolls out July 1 and continues through 2027.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s part of a program President Trump announced in November<\/a> to drastically lower drug costs for Americans, with the president striking a deal with some of the leading GLP-1 makers to provide the drugs at a low \u201cmost favored nation\u201d rate.<\/p>\n

Zepbound is one of three GLP-1s being offered at cut rates through the upcoming Medicare GLP-1 Bridge. REUTERS<\/p>\n

Ozempic retails for more than $1,000 a month, and the weight-loss variant of the drug, Wegovy, is listed for $1,350. There are some work-arounds to save money, but no cheap generic versions because they are still new medications under patent.<\/p>\n

That makes the GLP-1 Bridge program a rare opportunity for people to get their hands on the weight-loss drugs at a small fraction of the usual price.<\/p>\n

Here is everything you need to know about the new program.<\/p>\n

What is the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge?<\/p>\n

GLP-1 prescriptions were previously available for Medicare patients dealing with conditions like diabetes, sleep apnea, and cardiovascular disease \u2014 but were not available for weight loss, the treatment that\u2019s made headlines as patients shed dozens of pounds on the drug.<\/p>\n

The Medicare Bridge widens which Medicare users qualify for GLP-1 prescriptions <\/a>\u2014 making prescriptions available for patients who want to take it for weight loss.<\/p>\n

This program is a short-term pilot to gauge the feasibility of a larger program \u2014 accounting for the \u201cBridge\u201d part of the title.<\/p>\n

A permanent plan for GLP-1s could begin rolling out in 2028.<\/p>\n

GLP-1 pills and injectables are both being offered through the upcoming Medicare Bridge program. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

How long will the program run, and what happens after?<\/p>\n

The Bridge program runs from July 1, 2026, to Dec. 31, 2027.<\/p>\n

It remains unclear if it will continue after 2027, as the Bridge program\u2019s purpose is to see how much demand there will be for GLP-1s so insurance companies can gauge whether they will participate.<\/p>\n

Insurer participation is vital to make a long-term GLP-1 weight-loss Medicare program feasible, as the government would depend on them to subsidize the costs of the huge of the GLP-1s discounts.<\/p>\n

The government would be on the hook for billions of dollars if insurers don\u2019t sign up, with the Congressional Budget Office estimating the program would cost taxpayers about $35 billion from just 2026 to 2034, according to the New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Such a cost could prevent a long-term program from being affordable \u2014 especially as the federal government looks to tamp down on entitlement spending.<\/p>\n

Who qualifies for the program?<\/p>\n

Most Medicare patients 65 years and older who are overweight qualify for the program.<\/p>\n

That means you must have a body mass index (BMI) of 35 to automatically qualify, or a BMI of 27 and an obesity-associated condition like pre-diabetes and heart disease, according to NPR<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You must also been enrolled in a Medicare Part D plan, which covers prescription medications.<\/p>\n

If you are already taking a GLP-1 through Medicare for another condition, you may not qualify for the $50 copay. <\/p>\n

The Medicare Bridge program will make GLP-1s accessible for many people who normally couldn\u2019t afford them. Lana Pietukhova \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

What GLP-1 drugs are covered by the Bridge program?<\/p>\n

Three GLP-1s <\/a>will be available under the program \u2014 Zepbound, Foundayo and Wegovy.<\/p>\n

Foundayo and Wegovy are available as pill, rather than injectables.<\/p>\n

Ozempic, which is primary used to treat diabetes and not for weight loss, is not part of the program.<\/p>\n

The drugs are typically very expensive, but will be available under the Bridge<\/a> program for a fraction of their usual cost.<\/p>\n

Zepbound typically costs $699 per month \u2014 if patients pay cash.<\/p>\n

Wegovy, a pill, costs between $199 and $399 per month.<\/p>\n

And the Foundayo pill can cost up to $349 per month.<\/p>\n

The drugs are from the makers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, which were central to President Trump\u2019s \u201cmost favored nation\u201d deal.<\/p>\n

How do you participate in the program?<\/p>\n

Patients will not go through their usual Medicare Part D program to obtain GLP-1 prescriptions through the Bridge program.<\/p>\n

Instead, they must obtain a prior-authorization from a doctor who will submit that paperwork through the platform Humana.<\/p>\n

Any doctor can provide the prior-authorization \u2014 they do not need to be Medicare providers.<\/p>\n

Patients will then be able to fill their prescriptions at a pharmacy, where they will only have to pay the program\u2019s $50 co-pay.<\/p>\n

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What are some program downsides?<\/p>\n

The Bridge program provides deals only on the weight-loss drugs \u2014 none of the counseling that typically accompanies somebody trying to shed serious pounds to improve their health, Axios reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

With the Bridge program providing weight-loss drugs for people older 65, that could become problematic for patients who lose too much weight but don\u2019t have accompanying treatment and counseling.<\/p>\n

Making a meaningful difference in health also requires more than just a drug \u2014 nutrition, diet and exercise are required to keep pounds off and stay healthy, doctors say.<\/p>\n

Most GLP-1 users also typically gain weight back when they stop taking the drug unless they\u2019ve made significant changes to their lifestyle in tandem \u2014 so if the Bridge program does not continue after it ends in 2027, that could have health consequences for patients.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Millions of Medicare patients will be eligible for GLP-1 weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy at a cut-rate…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":480887,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[65,1757,7013,134,12551,524,111,139,69,7014,258,5510],"class_list":["post-480886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-medication","tag-donald-trump","tag-drugs","tag-glp-1","tag-health","tag-medicare","tag-medication","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-ozempic","tag-us-news","tag-wellness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480886","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=480886"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480886\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/480887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=480886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=480886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=480886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}