Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is proposing a new rule to significantly expand coverage of anti-obesity medications for Americans with Medicare and Medicaid. Tens of millions of Americans struggle with obesity. An estimated 42 percent of the U.S. population has obesity, which is now widely recognized as a chronic disease, with increased risk of all-cause mortality and multiple related comorbidities such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, some cancers, and more.
Meanwhile, life saving drugs cost thousands
Heart disease, strongly correlated with obesity, kills more Americans than anything else. These are life-saving drugs.
Not only that, it would greatly reduce the strain on the medical system, improving outcomes for everyone. GLP-1 agonists for anyone who wants them I say.
I’m not fat shaming but obesity is a problem that for most people can be solved without a drug that tricks your brain into not eating. I’m also not really anti-Ozempic…I just think they specifically chose this one because it’s hot right now.
My inhaler, which used to be free, now costs me $400/month. My mom just found out the Medicare plan she uses to not pay $8000/month for her pulmonary fibrosis is going away so now she gets to shop around to find a new insurer. Neither of us have options besides these drugs and the prices keep going up.
Are cheaper prescriptions a good thing? Of course! But drug prices are a symptom of the greater problem of our broken healthcare system so forgive me for sticking my nose up at Biden trying to score a win by making it cheaper for people to effortlessly lose weight…
There’s all this air around you, just breathe. It’s that simple.
As we learn more and more about weight loss and gain, we find that it’s no where near as simple as it -feels- like it should be. It certainly isn’t -most- people that could do it without help. And even with the best help available, it still isn’t -most- people that achieve reasonable results. It’s as hard a problem to tackle as the people affected by it kept telling us all along.
My point is that the root cause of obesity is societal, not medical. I am not discounting its seriousness at all not am I taking the “just exercise lol” stance here - it’s just that Ozempic doesn’t fix the issues behind the problem. Obesity usually leads to an early death but I’m not sure how that makes it a better candidate for healthcare coverage than the thousands of other health issues we face.
I am scoffing at this because it’s so obviously an attempt at courting favor as opposed to addressing any real problem. They did this for the headline. Everything has become so expensive and the thing they’re doing about it is subsidizing a weight loss pill. I don’t have the words to describe why I feel that’s so dystopian…but I do feel that way. Doritos for breakfast, Chex Mix for lunch, Ozempic and a beer for dinner. It’s fine. Just keep buying so two scummy industries can keep profiting…
Looking forward to the inevitably awful healthcare policies in the next few years. I might not be able to afford to breathe but at least I’ll stay skinny! Hell I might not even need Ozempic, grocery prices alone will keep me thin.
because why address the problem when you can just sell more pills?
How would you address the problem without rewriting the constitution? You can’t force people to eat healthier or force companies to sell healthier food.
The FDA could be more strict about banning harmful ingredients. The US allows far more chemical additives than Western Europe.
as we’ve been reminded this month, public opinion can be molded in literally any way shape or form by people who have the means. even if it’s something ridiculous.
but again: why bother if you can just sell more pills?
