Weight-loss drugs could set up clash between RFK Jr and aides

As a weight management doctor, Molly Cecil saw how the latest weight loss drugs help her patient.

It is also known from the personal experience: a year after one medicine, the Western Virginia doctor lost 40 pounds. Cholesterol and arthritis improved, allowing it to be more active with her young children.

“I felt as if I was a new person,” she said.

But it is concerned about the same obstacle facing many of its patients – the loss of insurance coverage – so it turned against the medications as a preventive action.

It turned out that she was right. Dr. Cecil later learned the new non -profit insurance plan The cost of the cost of the drug cannot be affected.

She gradually gained most of the weight you lost.

Dr. Cecil said that the latest category of weight-losing-also known as GLP-1 stimuli-are “the most powerful weight loss that we have ever taken.”

“But when I cannot get it [my patients]As a doctor who really cares about people’s care … he is unable. “

The new category of medicines – often not covered by private insurance – 1000 dollars (809 pounds) in the month can be costly on average. Medicare is prohibited from covering medications when used Weight loss, although it is usually covered when used to treat diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Only 13 states provide coverage under medicaid for weight loss purposes.

To make them easier, then President Joe Biden recently suggested that they cover them Medicare and Medicaid, but this will now return to the new President Donald Trump’s administration.

The drug policy will lose weight in the choice of Trump for the Minister of Health, Robert F. But this may mean a potential clash: Kennedy is an audio critic of drugs for weight while Oz is an enthusiastic defender.

The Trump administration did not respond to a request for comment on how to deal with the Biden Medical Care Department’s proposal – Federal Insurance for those 65 years old or older – and medicaid – for low -income people – to cover medicines.

Jonathan Zhang, a professor at Sanford College of Public Policy at Duke University, said that Trump’s approach in the future is still unclear, as many people in his internal circle suffer from contradictory views.

“GLP-1, Ozmpic, this is a drug that has a lot of requesting the patient,” said Mr. Zhang. “I really took its own life on social media. So the Trump administration – or any administration – faces a lot of pressure to do something about it in the short term.”

During his presidential tour last year, Kennedy made the obesity epidemic essentially part of his platform. More than 100 million people in the United States suffer from obesity, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

After stopping and adopting Trump, Kennedy launched his initiative, “Make America AGAIN” to reduce obesity by eliminating the foods and additives that are treated super, among other controversial ideas.

But the 71 -year -old was explicit about weight loss medications, as he told Fox News in October: “They depend on the sale. [weight-loss medications] For the Americans because we are very stupid and drug addicts. “

Kennedy added: “If we serve good food, and three meals per day, for every man, woman and child in our country, we can solve the obesity epidemic and diabetes overnight.”

Shortly after Trump Kennedy chose to lead the Ministry of Health and Humanitarian Services (HHS), he announced that he chose Oz, a former host and wound to manage government health insurance.

As a TV program host, Oz spent years promoting various weight losses, including the GLP-1 drugs.

“For those who want to lose a few pounds, medications can be OzemPic and other drugs that belong to Semaglutide great help,” Oz was published on Instagram in 2023. “

Experts said the decisions related to medicare and medicaid drug coverage are likely to include leaders from both HHS and CMS.

Oz and Kennedy spokesman did not respond to requests for comment on how to deal with a policy decision. Their appointments have not yet been confirmed.

Benjamin Roma, a researcher in the health policy at the University of Harvard Medical College, said that the high price of GLP -1 drugs, which has been patented – in the sense that it is not possible to make cheaper copies – has led to a discussion between insurance companies.

He said that companies must decide whether to collect insurance premiums in general, to cover costs, or to abandon the GLP-1S coverage completely.

Many have decided not to cover them. Dr. Cecil said that others have cut the coverage of patients as soon as they lost weight and reach the BMI (BMI) under the range of obesity from 30 or above.

When Dr. Cecil was on the GLP-1 using her previous insurance, she said that she would not allow herself to lose weight as much as she wants to avoid crossing the BMI.

They will cut the coverage, saying: “Well, you no longer need it anymore. I lost your weight. ”But of course, the reason for losing their weight is due to the medicine.

The descent of anti -obese medications very quickly can cause unpleasant withdrawal effects, and many gain weight.

Government insurance faces a similar cost dilemma when it comes to covering new weight loss medications.

“It is clear that there is a lot of interest in doing this to make these very effective medications available to patients they need, but the cost of doing this will be enormous because many people are eligible and because the prices are very high,” he said.

Mark Vendrick, Director of Michigan University, said that when Biden officials issued al -Qaeda that requires medical care and the doctor to cover anti -population medicines, they did this after the elections, knowing that it is up to them to deliver politics. Value -based insurance design center.

The federal government said last year that it may cost about $ 25 billion for medical care and $ 11 billion to provide medicines over the next ten years.

“How do we pay for that?” Dr. Federick’s request.

Experts said that the base of Biden’s era should go through a general suspension period before the Trump administration eventually decided if it would be moved with it.

Dr. Cecil said that government insurance companies and private companies may hesitate to obtain an expensive draft law of these drugs.

But she believes that the savings that will come from obesity for millions of Americans will greatly outperform the short -term costs.

“From five to ten years when we really see a huge reward, because this is when we really start a vision that goes down to some of these long -term complications,” said Dr. Cecil.

“If everyone who needs drugs can withstand their costs and want to take them, it will be great in the game.”