Medicare to Cover Wegovy for Patients With Serious Heart Risks [Video]

The cost of Wegovy will soon be covered by Medicare, according to an announcement from the federal health insurance program for seniors on Thursday. And while that’s great news for people over 65 who want access to a medication that’s drawn so much attention for its ability to help with weight loss, there’s just one catch. Medicare will only pay if patients have potentially serious heart problems.

Wegovy is the brand name of Novo Nordisk’s anti-obesity medication semaglutide, first approved in the U.S. in 2021. And along with Ozempic, which is also made by Novo Nordisk, the drugs have become hot-ticket items for people looking to lose weight. But the cost of Wegovy, which can be over $1,300 a month, has been prohibitively expensive for many Americans.

Wegovy was found to reduce heart attacks and strokes in a …