Medicare and Medicaid would cover weight-loss drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic under a new rule proposed by President Joe Biden on Tuesday, increasing access to the widely popular medications to millions of adults with obesity in the U.S., though the plan would likely face opposition under President-elect Donald Trump's second administration.

The proposal would expand coverage of anti-obesity drugs to 7.5 million people covered by Medicare and Medicaid, the Biden administration said.

President Joe Biden’s proposal to have GLP-1 weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro covered by Medicare and Medicaid would help tackle the public-health crisis of obesity, but it would raise the costs for the government programs by billions of dollars per year.

For the 12% of adults in the U.S. now taking a weight-loss medication that targets the GLP-1 and/or GIP hormones to restrict appetite or treat diabetes—think Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound—the season is even more complicated.

A row is brewing between the White House and Robert F Kennedy Jr after the Biden administration proposed making millions of Americans eligible for government-funded weight-loss drugs.

Medicare and Medicaid would be required to cover weight loss drug prescriptions for millions of obese Americans under plans announced by the Biden administration Tuesday.

The Biden administration on Tuesday proposed requiring Medicare and Medicaid to cover weight loss drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic. Why it matters: The rule would expand access to the medications for millions of Americans struggling with obesity,