The cost of expanding US Medicare prescription drug coverage to pay for expensive, new obesity medications could be catastrophic, health economists warn in a report.
Big-selling diabetes drugs have been repurposed as obesity treatments after demonstrating weight loss of more than 20% in clinical trials. While they are far more effective than older drugs, lifetime use might be required to keep lost weight off.
Presently, Medicare is forbidden by law from paying for anti-obesity prescriptions. But should the bipartisan The Treat and Reduce Obesity Act get reintroduced and passed by Congress, Medicare will be compelled to cover drugs for weight loss. That amounts to nearly 20% of the total 2019 Medicare Part D spending, Khrysta Baig of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and colleagues said.
The Medicare health program covers more than 60 million Americans, most over age 65. The authors point out that many people in the program have already incurred the health problems associated with long-term obesity, unlike younger populations typically included in clinical trials.
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