Biden proposes coverage under Medicare and Medicaid for expensive weight-loss drugs

President Biden proposed on Tuesday that Medicare and Medicaid cover expensive weight-loss drugs like Wegovy or Ozempic under a new Department of Health and Human Services rule.

The plan would cost taxpayers about $35 billion over the next 10 years, according to the Associated Press.

The rule would not be final until January after President-elect Trump starts his second term, leaving the matter up for debate under the new HHS secretary. Trump has nominated Robert Kennedy Jr. to the position.

The White House said about 3.4 million people on Medicare and 4 million on Medicaid could qualify for coverage of the weight-loss drugs, which are administered as weekly injections. 

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has estimated that about 28 million people on Medicaid are considered obese, according to the Associated Press, so the number of those who would qualify for the benefit might be higher than the White House's projections.

The drugs can cost as much as $1,000 per month for those of who are uninsured.