Biden wanted Medicaid to pay for weight-loss drugs. Trump just said it doesn’t have to
- The Trump administration reversed a Biden-era rule in April 2025 that would have required Medicaid to cover GLP-1 weight-loss drugs nationwide, allowing states to decide whether to pay for these medications.
- The change follows concerns from state Medicaid directors about the fiscal impact of mandatory coverage amid rising demand and high costs of GLP-1s like Ozempic and Wegovy, which can exceed $1,000 per month.
- In April 2025, Aon plc published a study utilizing extensive medical and prescription records covering more than 50 million individuals with commercial insurance. The findings demonstrated that a comprehensive obesity management approach incorporating GLP-1 medications and supportive programs can slow medical cost growth and significantly lower the incidence of major cardiovascular events over a two-year period.
- Aon's analysis observed a 44% decrease in hospitalizations from major adverse cardiovascular events and up to 13% savings for adherent GLP-1 users, highlighting potential cost reduction despite initial treatment expenses.
- This development suggests that while upfront costs pose challenges, state Medicaid programs retaining coverage choice could balance fiscal concerns with long-term health and economic benefits from GLP-1 medications.
24 Articles
24 Articles
What’s a fair price for a drug that’s never developed - Elizabethton Star
By John Stanford This month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will begin meeting with patients who use the 15 drugs it selected for the second round of Medicare price “negotiations” — including weight-loss treatment Wegovy. CMS will use these discussions to inform the lower prices it’ll set for the medicines. What CMS won’t address is the growing list of drugs that’ll never be developed as a result of government price-setting. It’s b…
Biden wanted Medicaid to pay for weight-loss drugs. Trump turned it back into an option. • SC Daily Gazette
In this photo illustration, the injectable weight-loss medication Wegovy is available at a Chicago pharmacy last year. The Biden administration proposed a rule that would have required state Medicaid programs to cover GLP-1s for obesity treatment, but the Trump administration said it will leave the option up to the states. (Photo illustration by Scott Olson/Getty Images)The Trump administration this month scrapped a Biden-era proposal that would…
Many Medicaid enrollees have restricted access to SGLT2 inhibitors, GLP-1 receptor agonists
Many Medicaid enrollees with type 2 diabetes have restricted access to cardioprotective medications, including sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), according to a study published online April 22 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Aon Unveils First Workforce-Focused Analysis on GLP-1s: Medications and Holistic Support Can Transform Workforce Health and Bend the Cost Curve
Firm also sets new standard in employee health by combining GLP-1 medications and holistic support to drive adherence and sustainable outcomes for Aon's U.S. colleagues in collaboration with eMed
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