The politics behind insurance companies covering weight-loss drugs [Video]

Everyone wants to step on the scale and feel good, but that isn’t always how most Americans feel. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 4 in 10 Americans are struggling with obesity.

That is where drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy may help. They have shown to help with weight loss, while reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes in adults who are overweight. 

There is only one problem: Changing the numbers on the scale with the help of a prescription drug remains too costly for many Americans.

“The real problem in America is that obesity as a disease state is not a standard benefit on insurance. It should be a standard benefit like other diseases,” said Dr. Angela Fitch, the president of the Obesity Medicine Association.

She says the problem that’s preventing more Americans from accessing the drugs is cost and uncharted territory for insurance companies.

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