'Game changer': Biden likely to trigger huge fight with last minute proposal
In the final weeks of President Joe Biden's administration, his Department of Health and Human Services is proposing a new rule for Medicare and Medicaid recipients that will likely touch off a tense confrontation with HHS secretary-designate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The Washington Post reported Tuesday that HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra is now proposing that weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy be covered by Medicare and Medicaid. He said the rule is necessary to fight the ongoing obesity epidemic in the United States by making it easier for Americans to have access to proven medical solutions.
"[The proposal is] a game changer. It helps us recognize that obesity is with us,” Becerra told the Post. “It’s severe. It’s damaging our country’s health. It’s damaging our economy."
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The active ingredient in those drugs, semaglutide, has been proven to be effective at helping patients achieve significant weight loss, which helps head off chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease.
In addition to allowing older Americans on Medicare to access the drugs, Becerra's proposal would make it more accessible for low-income Americans who qualify for Medicaid to get semaglutide injections as well. It would also make it more difficult for private insurers who provide Medicare Advantage plans to deny coverage to patients through the tactic of prior authorization.
"We really need to use every tool we’ve got in the toolbox... to try to keep America healthy,” Becerra said. “We should let science drive us to where we’ll go.”
Biden's HHS will officially enter the proposal into the federal register on Tuesday, which doesn't require any action from President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration to go into effect. However, RFK Jr. is likely to be against it given his public positions against vaccines — particularly weekly injections like Ozempic and Wegovy. RFK Jr. has said he would use his position atop America's public health agencies to encourage healthy eating and regular exercise (something former First Lady Michelle Obama also did as the GOP almost unilaterally opposed it).
"They’re counting on selling [Ozempic and Wegovy] to Americans because we’re so stupid and so... addicted to drugs," Kennedy said in October.
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Click here to read the Post's report in full (subscription required).
