A new Medicare program opened the door to obesity treatment — keep it open
The Hill · C · trust 27/100
Comments: by Joseph Nadglowski, opinion contributor - 10/01/26 12:30 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Joseph Nadglowski, opinion contributor - 10/01/26 12:30 PM ET Comments: Link copied FILE – A dosage of Wegovy, a drug used for weight loss, is displayed in Front Royal, Va., March 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades, File) For too many people affected by obesity, the biggest barrier to treatment isn’t whether effective options exist. It’s whether they can access them.
For older adults, that barrier has been especially difficult to overcome.
Obesity treatment has advanced dramatically in recent years, but Medicare coverage has not kept pace. That began to change July 1, 2026, with the launch of the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program , giving eligible beneficiaries access to obesity medications that, for many, had previously been out of reach because of cost or lack of coverage.
The response tells us something important.
In just two months, more than 600,000 Medicare beneficiaries have enrolled . Initial data indicate that most had never had access to GLP-1 medications for obesity. That is not simply strong enrollment. It is evidence of a need that has gone unmet for far too long.
Through the Bridge Program, eligible Medicare Part D beneficiaries can access certain GLP-1 medications for obesity with a $50 monthly co-pay . The program runs through the end of next year.
Our organization welcomes this progress. It is a bridge. But where will that bridge take us?
Obesity is a complex, chronic disease affecting 40 percent of Americans . Like people living with any other chronic disease, people affected by obesity need access to comprehensive, evidence-based care. Yet outdated policies and persistent stigma have stood between people and treatments that could improve their health and quality of life.
GLP-1 medications are one treatment option. They are not appropriate for everyone, nor are they the only way to treat obesity. The right treatment is a decision that should be made by individuals and their healthcare providers. Insurance coverage should not make that decision for them.
That is why the Bridge Program matters. But what happens next matters even more. The program is temporary. Over the next 15 months, we have an opportunity to demonstrate what happens when people affected by obesity have greater access to evidence-based treatment. We also have a responsibility to ensure that when this bridge ends, people are not sent backward.
Those affected by obesity deserve the same opportunity to access appropriate treatment as people living with other chronic diseases. They deserve to make healthcare decisions with their providers based on science and their individual needs — not stigma, cost or outdated coverage restrictions.
The Medicare GLP-1 Bridge Program is meaningful progress. Now we need to build on it. Every bridge is supposed to take us somewhere. This one should lead to comprehensive, affordable and lasting access to obesity care. We must make sure it does.
Joseph Nadglowski is the president and CEO of the Obesity Action Coalition .
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