According to Fortune, President Donald Trump announced a major deal with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to expand Medicare coverage and reduce prices for obesity drugs Zepbound and Wegovy starting next year. The administration revealed that Medicare will begin covering these GLP-1 drugs for obesity in 2025, with copays set at $50 for qualified patients. New pill versions of the treatments will cost $149 monthly if approved, while Eli Lilly will drop Zepbound’s starter dose to $299 and higher doses to $449. Through the TrumpRx program launching in January, uninsured Americans will pay around $350 initially, dropping to $245 within two years. The FDA is separately expediting review of Lilly’s obesity pill orforglipron, with Novo’s Wegovy pill decision expected later this year.
The access reality check
Here’s the thing: while this sounds like a breakthrough for the 100 million American adults with obesity, the devil’s in the details. Medicare currently covers these drugs for diabetes and heart conditions but not weight loss alone—and Trump‘s team actually canceled a Biden-era proposal that would have changed that. Now they’re bringing back a similar plan but taking credit? Interesting timing, right after Democrats swept recent elections where economic anxiety was voters’ top concern.
The affordability gap remains
Even with these reductions, we’re still talking about hundreds of dollars monthly for medications people need to take indefinitely. Doctors report patients working extra jobs or delaying retirement just to afford refills. And let’s be real—$50 copays plus insurance premiums still adds up for seniors on fixed incomes. The administration claims this “will save lives,” but when nearly 75% of current patients struggle with costs even with some coverage, how much will actually change?
The political theater
Trump couldn’t resist making it personal, asking Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick “Do you take any of this stuff, Howard?” during the Oval Office announcement. He then outed his communications director as a user. Classic Trump—policy mixed with personal commentary. Meanwhile, HHS Secretary RFK Jr., who previously expressed skepticism about GLP-1s, now praises the deal while making questionable claims that obesity is exclusively “a disease of poverty.” Actually, CDC data shows middle-income Americans have slightly higher obesity rates than both the poorest and wealthiest groups.
The manufacturer windfall continues
Let’s not forget who really wins here: Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk. Zepbound sales tripled to over $9 billion this year alone, and expanded Medicare coverage means millions of new potential customers. Novo Nordisk declined to provide specific pricing details—always a red flag. And while Medicaid coverage remains spotty across states, this deal mainly addresses Medicare while leaving lower-income Americans in the lurch. The political timing is impeccable, but the actual impact on everyday affordability? We’ll believe it when we see it.
