Millions of Medicare enrollees will gain their first-ever coverage for drugs for weight loss under a temporary pilot program that launches July 1.
Mary Abrahamson hopes to be one of them.
The rural Washington resident was tired of carrying extra weight on her 5-foot-3-inch frame. It made it harder for the 71-year-old to do the things she enjoyed, including walking her dogs and gardening.
Unable to afford the weight-loss drugs Wegovy or Zepbound, which were priced at more than $1,000 a month at the time, Abrahamson started using a compounded version of the GLP-1 drug tirzepatide two years ago, which initially cost her $400 a month but has since dropped to $200. Her husband, Jeff, 77, began earlier this year. Both have shed pounds and have more energy – though the monthly tab is a struggle financially.
The couple, who live off of Social Security, savings and a small pension, may soon be able to get Zepbound for $50 a month each through the Medicare pilot program. The steep discount would allow them to buy a new riding lawn mower or improve their drinking water system or take a dream vacation to Belize, where Abramhamson has already picked out a resort.
