1 in 4 Medicare beneficiaries with obesity could get Wegovy despite coverage ban [Video]

(The Hill) – An estimated 3.6 million Medicare beneficiaries could potentially access Wegovy now that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug for reducing the risk of incidents related to cardiovascular disease.

A KFF analysis found that among the 13.7 million people on Medicare diagnosed with obesity, 3.6 million, or roughly 1 in 4, of these beneficiaries also have diagnoses of cardiovascular disease. These potential beneficiaries represent about 7 percent of all those on Medicare.

These findings are based on data from 2020.

Wegovy is a form of semaglutide, also sold as the diabetes treatment Ozempic. As GLP-1 agonist, it is among the class of drugs that have until recently only been approved to treat diabetes and obesity.

Medicare is prohibited from covering weight loss medications due to the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003. Lawmakers, pharmaceutical manufacturers and obesity care …