OPINION — When President Trump and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz announced the creation of the GLP-1 Bridge Program last year, many Americans might have thought the administration had cut a deal that would drop the price of GLP-1 medications to $50 per month for anyone looking to lose weight.
They’d also be wrong to assume a prescription for GLP-1 medications would qualify for the bridge discount at most pharmacies. Something got lost in the mix.
In reality, the $50-per-month co-pay applies only to Medicare patients, with taxpayers subsidizing the remaining $245 negotiated cost. Those on commercial insurance plans, employer-sponsored plans and most Medicaid programs were not included in the deal the federal government signed with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk.
