Opinion: Medicare coverage of weight loss drugs could save the U.S. billions of dollars
The latest weight loss drugs are good. Really good. They can save lives and could literally remake American health. But rather than celebrate, we’re having a political conversation that is all about price controls. Oscar Wilde’s warning is timely: Beware the fool who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.
We and several of our colleagues have studied the new weight loss drugs, known as GLP-1s, like Wegovy (semaglutide) and Zepbound (tirzepatide), and modeled their impact. They represent huge value in treating obesity. More than 40% of adults in the U.S. have obesity; another one-third are overweight. An estimated 300,000 Americans die from obesity-related conditions each year.
