White House Slashes GLP-1 Costs, Permits Medicare Coverage for Obesity
A deal with drugmakers would drop out-of-pocket costs for drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound to as little as $350 a month. But certain limitations persist.
In what the White House is calling a historic step to lower drug costs, President Donald Trump announced new agreements with pharmaceutical manufacturers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to slash prices and expand coverage of GLP-1 medications, including Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound, and Mounjaro.
These changes come as part of the administration’s “Most-Favored-Nation” (MFN) policy, which the White House says is designed to ensure Americans pay no more than patients in other developed nations for the same drugs.
How the New Pricing Works
Under the plan, monthly cash-pay prices will drop significantly when patients purchase the medication through a new federal portal called TrumpRx.gov.
The prices of Ozempic and Wegovy self-inject pens will fall from $1,000 and $1,350 per month, respectively, to $350.
The out-of-pocket price of Zepbound self-inject pens will fall from $1,086 per month to an average of $346.
Orforglipron, referred to as the Wegovy pill, would be offered for $346 per month if an approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) comes through (a decision is expected soon).
In the event that the FDA later approves the Wegovy pill, or similar GLP-1 pills under development, the initial dose of those drugs will be priced at $150 per month.
Expanded Access for Medicare Patients
For the first time, Medicare will cover GLP-1 medications for obesity, starting mid-2026. The pilot program, offered under Medicare Part D, will include about 10 percent of beneficiaries (roughly 6.6 million people) who qualify based on weight and health status.
Have obesity (BMI greater than 30) and uncontrolled high blood pressure, kidney disease, or heart failure
Have severe obesity (BMI greater than 35)
“These low prices will enable Medicare to cover Wegovy and Zepbound for patients with obesity and related comorbidities for the first time,” according to the release.
Medicare beneficiaries will pay a copay of $50 per month.
State Medicaid programs would also have access to GLP-1 medications at the newly negotiated prices.
What Is TrumpRx?
TrumpRx will be a direct-to-consumer website serving as a marketplace for people to buy medicine at discounted prices.
The site, which will not go live until early 2026, will not sell or distribute medications, a senior administration official told reporters Tuesday. Instead, people will be able search for their medicines and then be redirected to participating drug makers’ direct-to-consumer channels.
What the News Means
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the expanded access will have a “dramatic effect on human health,” adding that Americans “will lose 125 million pounds by this time next year.”
“All Americans, even those who are not on Medicaid or Medicare, are going to be able to get the same price for their GLP-1s,” said RFK at a press briefing held today.
Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk also plan to extend lower prices on future drugs sold through TrumpRx. For people who prefer to purchase directly, Lilly’s own platform, LillyDirect, continues to offer Zepbound at discounted self-pay prices of $299 to $449 per month for various doses, a program that may now complement TrumpRx.
Some obesity experts have a cautious outlook. Yuval Pinto, MD, an obesity medicine specialist at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, said that the announcement sounded promising in terms of expanding access, but certain limitations persist.
“Medicaid coverage varies by state, eligibility criteria are restrictive, and private insurance coverage remains limited,” Dr. Pinto says. “It is too early to know what the long-term implication of this plan will be for the treatment of obesity.”
EDITORIAL SOURCES
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Resources
Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Announces Major Developments in Bringing Most-Favored-Nation Pricing to American Patients. The White House. November 6, 2025.
Trump Announces Deals with Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk to Slash Weight Loss Drug Prices, Offer Some Medicare Coverage. CNBC. November 6, 2025.
Trump Announces ‘TrumpRx’ Site for Discounted Drugs and Deal with Pfizer to Lower Prices. CNN. September 30, 2025.
Tom Gavin joined Everyday Health as copy chief in 2022 after a lengthy stint as a freelance copy editor. He has a bachelor's degree in psychology from College of the Holy Cross.
Prior to working for Everyday Health, he wrote, edited, copy edited, and fact-checked for books, magazines, and digital content covering a range of topics, including women's health, lifestyle, recipes, restaurant reviews, travel, and more. His clients have included Frommer's, Time-Life, and Google, among others.
He lives in Brooklyn, New York, where he likes to spend his time making music, fixing too-old electronics, and having fun with his family and the dog who has taken up residence in their home.
Becky Upham has worked throughout the health and wellness world for over 25 years. She's been a race director, a team recruiter for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, a salesperson for a major pharmaceutical company, a blogger for Moogfest, a communications manager for Mission Health, a fitness instructor, and a health coach.
Upham majored in English at the University of North Carolina and has a master's in English writing from Hollins University.
Upham enjoys teaching cycling classes, running, reading fiction, and making playlists.
