A public price with limits
Can I use Medicare’s weight-medicine program?
$50 per month
As of September 26, 2026, Medicare has a temporary payment program called the GLP-1 Bridge for certain weight medicines.
People in Medicare drug plans who meet the program’s rules pay this monthly copay.
GLP-1 medicines copy one of the body’s signals involved in blood sugar and appetite.
A Medicare card alone does not show that you qualify for this price.
Ask your Medicare drug plan and your prescriber to review these rules for your case:
The program begins on July 1, 2026, and ends on December 31, 2027.
Part D is Medicare’s usual drug coverage; this program uses a separate payment system.
As of September 26, 2026, this program requires people to be aged at least 18 and have an allowed Medicare drug plan.
Allowed plans include a separate Part D drug plan and certain Medicare Advantage plans that combine health and drug coverage.
You also need to meet its weight and health rules, based on your health when you started the medicine.
The program measures weight with BMI, a number calculated from your height and weight.
For the weight rule, a BMI of 35 or more qualifies.
A BMI of at least 30 can meet it with certain heart, blood-pressure or kidney conditions.
A BMI of at least 27 can meet it with a past stroke or heart attack, pre-diabetes, or poor blood flow in limb arteries that causes symptoms.
Pre-diabetes means blood sugar is above normal but below the diabetes range.
People who have type 2 diabetes are excluded from this program; the usual Part D coverage rules apply to them.
Some breathing problems during sleep and some forms of fatty liver disease also rule out the program.
Not every diagnosis of fatty liver disease rules out this program.
Ask your prescriber to go over the exact conditions in your health record.
If Part D paid for one of these medicines for you during 2026, you are barred from this program for 2026.
A prescription and approval of your request for payment are required.
The medicine must be prescribed along with an ongoing plan for food and physical activity.
This payment adds nothing to the amount counted against your annual limit for Part D drug costs paid out of pocket.
The program gives no extra help with this payment to people with low income.
Ask your plan: “Does my plan qualify?” Ask the person writing your prescription: “Do my health records and this medicine meet the program’s rules?” Get the answer before relying on the price.