Medicaid Spending On Weight Loss Drugs Has Increased 500% Since 2019

Medicaid spending on the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) class of drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity increased 500% between 2019 and 2023, from $597.3 million to $3.9 billion. Prescription volume increased by 400%, from about 755,300 prescriptions in 2019 to 3.8 million in 2023. In 2023, about 55.3% (2.1 million) of GLP-1 prescriptions covered by Medicaid were for Ozempic, which is manufactured by Novo Nordisk.

As of August 2024, 13 states covered GLP-1s for obesity through Medicaid, while four more cover GLP-1s but not for obesity . . .