Ozempic and other new weight-loss drugs could save lives. Too bad millions of Americans are being denied access to them.
The 76-year-old retiree from Aurora, Colorado, has severe obesity along with a number of other conditions, including high cholesterol, sleep apnea, and chronic back pain. Darrell, who is being identified by his first name to protect his privacy, said his high blood pressure had caused him to suffer multiple strokes.
Darrell's primary insurance is a Medicare Advantage plan, the privatized version of the traditional federal health-insurance program for seniors, sold by UnitedHealthcare. The company, the country's biggest and richest health insurer, wrote in memos reviewed by Insider that it denied coverage for Wegovy because Medicare didn't cover weight-loss medications by law and Darrell's private plan didn't offer the drug as an extra benefit.
The drug companies, salivating over the prospect of billions in revenue, set prices out of reach for most people whose health plans don't cover them. Health insurers and employers have balked at covering the drugs for fear that a surge in demand would cut into their profits, strain their budgets, and eventually send health-plan premiums through the roof.
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