00:00A new government program could serve as a kind of lifeline for Medicare recipients struggling
00:04with obesity by offering the 14 million Americans on Medicare who meet the qualifications
00:09cut-rate weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wagovi. We're talking about a huge discount here.
00:14The program will see prescriptions for this miracle weight loss drug costing a mere 50
00:20bucks a month compared to the hundreds it normally costs. Back in November, President Trump ruled out
00:25a program to drastically lower drug costs for Americans. Now, as part of that, the president
00:30struck a deal with some of the leading GLP-1 makers to provide these drugs at a low, most favored
00:36nation rate. Now, most Medicare patients 65 and older who have a body mass index of at least 35
00:42qualify automatically. Patients with a BMI over 27 with an obesity-related condition like heart
00:48disease would also qualify. Now, critics may bristle at taxpayer-funded weight loss. You're
00:53probably thinking about all those celebrities walking on the red carpets who've clearly been
00:57hitting the GLP ones. And yeah, if you qualify for this program, you're going to be more comfortable
01:03in your jeans on the taxpayer's dime. But the fact is, in the long run, it could save money
01:08by keeping more Medicare recipients at healthier weight and potentially not needing even pricier
01:14interventions to treat all the other ailments that come along with obesity. The pilot program begins in
01:20July and runs through next year. A more permanent program could then launch in 2028.
