Weight loss drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound have been hailed as a revolution. Yet the high cost and lack of insurance coverage make them largely unattainable.
Insurance companies typically refuse to reimburse the around $1,000 monthly cost of the injections or, when they do pay, put up high barriers to authorizing payments.
Dr. Laura Davisson, director of West Virginia University’s medical weight management program, said it’s a challenge to help her patients pay for the drugs.
Cabandugama, of the Cleveland Clinic, said that insurance companies often refuse to cover the cost of weight loss medications because obesity is still seen as a cosmetic issue, instead of a chronic disease.
Another barrier, he added, is a 2003 law that prohibits Medicare from covering weight loss drugs, cutting off a huge group of potential patients.
A spokesperson for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said in a statement that the agency is currently reviewing the FDA’s approval to expand the use of Wegovy to reduce heart attack and stroke risk.
Dr. Drake Bellanger, an obesity medicine specialist at the Louisiana Center for Bariatrics in Baton Rouge, worries about losing patients because of the cost of the drugs.
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Insurance companies typically refuse to reimburse the around $1,000 monthly cost of the injections or, when they do pay, put up high barriers to authorizing payments.
Dr. Laura Davisson, director of West Virginia University’s medical weight management program, said it’s a challenge to help her patients pay for the drugs.
Cabandugama, of the Cleveland Clinic, said that insurance companies often refuse to cover the cost of weight loss medications because obesity is still seen as a cosmetic issue, instead of a chronic disease.
Another barrier, he added, is a 2003 law that prohibits Medicare from covering weight loss drugs, cutting off a huge group of potential patients.
A spokesperson for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said in a statement that the agency is currently reviewing the FDA’s approval to expand the use of Wegovy to reduce heart attack and stroke risk.
Dr. Drake Bellanger, an obesity medicine specialist at the Louisiana Center for Bariatrics in Baton Rouge, worries about losing patients because of the cost of the drugs.
The original article contains 1,303 words, the summary contains 170 words. Saved 87%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!