RFK, Dr. Oz and Weight-Loss Drugs: A high-pris health can be a clash

As a weight management doctor, Moli Cecil has seen for the first time how the latest weight loss drugs help his patients.

She also knows from personal experience: after a year on a medicine, the West Virginia doctor lost 40 pounds. His cholesterol and arthritis improved, making him more active with his young children.

“I just felt like a new person on them,” he said.

But she was concerned about the same obstacle facing many of her patients – losing insurance coverage – so she stopped drugs as a precaution.

It was revealed that he was right. Dr. Cecil later learned his new non -profit insurance scheme Could not risk covering the cost of drugs.

He gradually gained back the most weight he lost.

The latest class of weight loss drugs-also known as GLP-1 agonist-is the most powerful weight-loss drugs that we have ever done “, Dr. Cecil said.

“But when I cannot take them (my patients), as a physician who really cares for people to take care … it just seems helpless,” he said.

New class of drugs – is often not covered by private insurance – an average can cost $ 1,000 (£ 809). Federal law prohibits medicare from covering drugs when used Weight loss, although they are usually used to treat diabetes and heart disease. Only 13 states provide coverage under the Medicade for weight loss purposes.

To make them more accessible, the then President Joe Biden recently proposed that Medicare and Medicade cover them, but now it will be for the new administration of President Donald Trump.

Its weight -reducing drug policy will fall to the Health Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Junior, and Trump’s pick for Mehmat Oz, Trump’s choice to lead Medicare and Medicade Services. But this can mean a possible conflict: Kennedy is an outspoken critic of weight loss drugs while oz is an enthusiastic lawyer.

The Trump administration did not respond to an request for comment on how it would handle the proposal of Biden administration for Medicare – those 65 and federal insurance for the old – and Medicade – Government Insurance for low -income people – to cover drugs For.

Professor Jonathan Zhang of the Sanford School of Public Policy of Duke University said that Trump’s future approach is not clear.

“GLP-1, OzEmpic, it is a drug in which there is a demand for such a patient,” said Mr. Zhang. “It is actually taken on its own life on social media. So Trump Administration – or any administration – faces a ton pressure to do something about it in the near period.”

During his presidential post last year, Kennedy made a central part of his platform with obesity. More than 100 million people in the US suffer from obesity, according to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

After Tram left and supported, Kennedy launched his “Make America Healthy again” initiative to reduce obesity by eliminating ultra-based foods and additives, among other more controversial views.

But in October, the 71 -year -old has given Vigor about weight loss drugs, stating Fox News: “They are counting Americans (weighing drugs) because we are very foolish and accustomed to drugs.”

Kennedy said, “If we gave only good food, three meals to every man, woman and child in our country, then we can solve obesity and diabetes epidemic throughout the night.”

Trump chose Kennedy to lead Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), he announced that he was within HHS to lead the centers of Oz, a former TV show host and surgeon, Medicare and Medicade (CMS) Selected an agency, which is an agency within HHS. Administer government health insurance.

As a television show host, Oz spent years in promoting various weight -loss drugs, including GLP -1 drugs recently.

Oz, posted on Instagram in 2023, said, “Those who want to lose a few pounds can be a great help.” ,

Experts said that decisions regarding Medicare and Medicade Drug Coverage will include leaders of both HHS and CMS.

Spokesmen of Oz and Kennedy did not respond to the requests of comment on how they would handle the policy decision. Neither their appointments have been confirmed.

Benjamin Rome, a health policy researcher at Harvard Medical School, said that the high price of GLP -1 drugs, which has been patented – means that inexpensive copy versions cannot be made – there has been a debate between insurance companies. .

Companies have to decide whether the insurance premium is to increase, in general, to cover costs, or to fully abandon the coverage of GLP -1S, he said.

Many people have decided not to cover them. Dr. Cecil said that after losing weight, patients cut coverage and reach the body mass index (BMI) below the obesity range of 30 or more.

When Dr. Sesil was on GLP-1 using her previous insurance, so she said that she would not allow herself to lose weight as she wanted to avoid crossing the BMI threshold.

“They will cut coverage, saying,” Okay, you don’t need it anymore. You have lost your weight. ” But of course, they are due to the drug, the reason for losing weight, “he said.

The closing of anti-objective drugs very quickly can also cause unpleasant withdrawal effects, and many weight back.

When it comes to covering new weight loss drugs, government insurance faces a similar cost prediction.

“Although these highly effective drugs are clearly very interested in providing more to patients that they need, it will be very high to do so because so many people are eligible and because prices are so high,” Dr. Said Rome.

When Biden officials issued the rule, in which Medicare and Medicade needed to cover anti-urinary drugs, they did so after the election, knowing that the center for price-based insurance design.

The federal government said last year that $ 25B for Medicare to provide medicines in the next 10 years and $ 11B for Medicid may be spent.

“How do we pay for him?” Dr. Fendric asked.

Experts stated that the Biden-era rule should undergo a public comment period, before the Trump administration eventually decides whether to move forward with it.

Dr. Cecil said that the government and private insurance companies can hesitate to give foot to the bill for such expensive medicines.

But she believes that savings from dealing with obesity for millions of Americans will be far ahead of short -term costs.

“It is five to ten years when we will actually see a huge payment, because when we really start watching trending down for some more serious long -term complications,” Dr. Cecil said.

“If everyone who needs drugs can bear them and wants to take them, then it will be a very good game.”