A pile of different colored pills

Why ‘Skinny Jabs’ Will Deepen America’s Health Crisis

August 29, 2024 | Source: Alliance for Natural Health

The debate over whether Medicare should cover GLP-1 receptor antagonist anti-obesity drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy raises critical questions about the future of healthcare spending and our approach to treating chronic health conditions. While these drugs have become immensely popular following huge hype on social media, expanding Medicare to cover them would represent a massive transfer of taxpayer dollars to Big Pharma. Instead of addressing the root causes of obesity—like poor nutrition, lack of exercise, and environmental factors—this move would pour trillions into drugs that demand long-term or lifelong use and perpetuate dependency without offering true, lasting solutions. What’s more, it could all be for nothing as more information surfaces over high drop-off rates induced by adverse reactions from users of the drugs, as well as their link to self-harm, suicidal thoughts, and suicide itself. Predictably, the FDA claims they have found no link between these drugs and the risk of suicidal ideation. No doubt that might have something to do with its revolving doors with drug makers, in this case, most notably, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly.

Currently, Medicare is prohibited from covering anti-obesity medications, although coverage is allowed for these drugs when they are FDA-approved for other conditions like diabetes or heart disease. However, a bill in Congress seeks to remove this restriction, potentially leading to an additional $3 trillion in Medicare expenses. This is no small price tag, especially considering the surge in demand for these medications. Prescriptions for Ozempic and Wegovy skyrocketed by 300 percent between 2020 and the end of 2022, reaching nine million prescriptions in just the last quarter of 2022 alone.