Usually for type 2 diabetes, and often not for weight loss. Medicare Part D cannot cover one for weight loss alone, Medicaid is each state's choice, and 18% of firms with 200 or more workers cover them for weight loss. Medicare Part D still spent $39.2 billion on these medicines in 2025, before rebates.
Rules reviewed Nov 6, 2026 against the source linked under each. Spending and prescriptions read every week from CMS's own files.
Who covers what
The rules, by kind of coverage
Medicare
Part D plans cannot cover a GLP-1 for weight loss alone, but can for other approved uses, and a temporary program covers three for weight management at $50 a month.
The law that created Part D excludes drugs used for weight loss. It does not exclude the same drug used for an approved medical condition, such as type 2 diabetes or lowering heart risk. Each plan still chooses its own formulary. Separately, the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge runs from July 1, 2026 to December 31, 2027. Who qualifies for the Bridge
It covers GLP-1s for type 2 diabetes, and whether it covers them for weight loss depends on your state.
Coverage for obesity is optional for each state. KFF counted 13 state programs covering it under fee-for-service as of January 2026, down from 16 in October 2025, usually with prior authorization. CMS's BALANCE model lets state programs join a negotiated-price arrangement between May 2026 and January 1, 2027, voluntarily.
Plans generally cover GLP-1s for type 2 diabetes, and most employers do not cover them for weight loss, so it depends on the plan yours chose.
KFF's 2026 survey found 18% of firms with 200 or more workers cover GLP-1s used primarily for weight loss: 16% of firms with 200 to 999 workers, 29% with 1,000 to 4,999 and 33% with 5,000 or more, down from 43% of the largest firms in 2025. Among large firms that offer benefits and do not cover them, 12% said they stopped within the last 12 months. No public dataset says what each insurer's plans cover, because the same insurer sells different plans to different employers.
TRICARE For Life stopped covering weight-loss GLP-1s on August 31, 2025; other TRICARE plans can cover them with conditions.
Stars and Stripes reported TRICARE's statement: GLP-1s for type 2 diabetes such as Trulicity, Ozempic, Mounjaro and Victoza stay covered when medically necessary with prior authorization, and plans such as Prime and Select can still cover weight-loss GLP-1s depending on the condition and criteria. TRICARE's own news page does not load for automated readers, so check your plan with TRICARE.
CMS's gross spending, before manufacturer rebates, so not what Medicare paid in the end. People are those with Part D who filled the medicine at least once. A prescription can cover more than a month.
Medicine
People
A year before
Prescriptions
Spending
Per prescription
Ozempic
2,044,798
1,952,637
12,398,564
$16.2 billion
$1,303
Mounjaro
1,592,517
894,581
10,626,449
$14.1 billion
$1,325
Trulicity
582,333
788,716
3,726,414
$4.8 billion
$1,295
Rybelsus
280,455
309,993
1,249,603
$2.0 billion
$1,624
Zepbound
160,298
245
903,004
$1.0 billion
$1,147
Wegovy
108,843
52,961
714,385
$1.0 billion
$1,437
Generic liraglutide
47,040
24,405
195,236
$92 million
$472
Victoza
6,810
103,880
10,917
$8 million
$765
From CMS's quarterly and annual Part D files. Foundayo is too new for these files, and the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge runs outside Part D, so it is not counted here.
What Medicaid paid
Medicaid GLP-1 prescriptions, state by state
What each state's program reported to CMS, Q2 2025 to Q1 2026. Wegovy, Zepbound and Saxenda are the brands approved for weight management, so these columns show where a state's choice shows up.
51 of 52 programs reported at least some prescriptions of those three brands. That does not mean 51 cover them for weight loss: Wegovy and Zepbound are also approved for other conditions, and federal rules require coverage for some of those. A paid prescription does not say what it was prescribed for.
State
Wegovy
Zepbound
Saxenda
All GLP-1s
Paid
California
849,776
670,963
7,079
2,954,243
$3.3 billion
Pennsylvania
191,027
177,917
910
724,123
$808 million
Michigan
179,597
183,648
1,582
616,800
$690 million
Massachusetts
8,985
218,115
77
427,677
$438 million
North Carolina
193,101
33,645
79
492,345
$602 million
Missouri
703
197,025
0
361,362
$368 million
Wisconsin
65,978
129,306
1,028
326,716
$355 million
Minnesota
90,532
30,955
1,919
229,089
$255 million
Tennessee
42,783
33,081
337
173,416
$189 million
Virginia
21,564
13,130
8,789
222,787
$226 million
Mississippi
36,140
350
277
66,455
$77 million
Kansas
6,594
25,819
84
48,590
$52 million
Delaware
17,001
13,509
40
54,128
$21 million
Colorado
8,614
11,501
A few
137,414
$140 million
Puerto Rico
401
17,846
0
51,695
$55 million
New Hampshire
10,295
5,596
192
30,626
$33 million
Ohio
9,313
5,685
40
416,117
$401 million
Rhode Island
7,194
6,971
105
48,566
$51 million
Indiana
4,226
9,682
A few
183,158
$198 million
New Jersey
4,147
8,776
A few
156,728
$145 million
South Carolina
9,028
2,183
A few
65,908
$66 million
Connecticut
3,167
7,178
0
159,052
$191 million
Iowa
1,197
7,287
0
89,074
$89 million
Texas
6,000
1,765
A few
183,437
$193 million
Oregon
1,679
5,176
0
73,938
$68 million
Washington
1,655
4,038
A few
111,811
$84 million
Kentucky
996
4,010
0
263,351
$227 million
Maryland
1,403
3,452
A few
153,809
$150 million
Illinois
1,150
2,626
A few
271,165
$285 million
Idaho
651
2,634
0
46,804
$47 million
Louisiana
2,559
580
0
218,099
$220 million
Alabama
597
1,902
0
75,116
$76 million
Maine
1,287
1,184
A few
45,639
$45 million
Nevada
1,237
1,207
0
73,868
$88 million
New York
2,142
11
0
839,814
$973 million
Alaska
A few
2,145
0
22,816
$22 million
Georgia
1,475
569
A few
61,811
$55 million
Vermont
189
1,832
0
18,615
$20 million
Florida
1,179
415
A few
127,086
$124 million
Arizona
813
A few
A few
86,653
$92 million
Oklahoma
749
64
0
83,110
$83 million
Nebraska
169
622
0
37,752
$37 million
District of Columbia
235
525
A few
26,754
$26 million
West Virginia
152
587
A few
100,088
$97 million
Utah
181
309
A few
28,999
$30 million
Wyoming
131
341
0
3,294
$3 million
Arkansas
288
24
A few
27,641
$23 million
Montana
204
76
0
22,953
$23 million
Hawaii
257
A few
0
28,514
$33 million
New Mexico
72
A few
0
65,609
$65 million
South Dakota
11
A few
0
15,754
$16 million
North Dakota
A few
0
0
7,223
$5 million
From CMS's State Drug Utilization Data. CMS hides lines with few prescriptions, so each count is a floor, and “A few” means every line for that brand was hidden. Paid is before rebates. States report at different speeds, so the newest quarter can be incomplete. All GLP-1s counts Ozempic, Rybelsus, Mounjaro, Trulicity, Victoza and generic liraglutide as well.
Nationally, CMS's Medicaid spending file puts gross spending on these medicines at $8.7 billion in 2024, led by Ozempic ($3.4 billion), Trulicity ($2.2 billion), Wegovy ($1.2 billion).
Your own plan
How to find out what your plan covers
Call the number on your insurance card, or open your plan's drug list, called a formulary, and look up the exact brand.
Ask whether it is covered for your diagnosis. The same medicine can be covered for type 2 diabetes and excluded for weight loss.
Ask whether it needs prior authorization, and what your prescriber has to show to get it.
Ask what you would pay, including whether your deductible applies. If you pay cash instead, that payment may not count toward your deductible.
If it is denied, your plan must tell you how to appeal.
Usually for type 2 diabetes and often not for weight loss. Medicare Part D cannot cover a GLP-1 for weight loss alone, Medicaid coverage for weight loss is each state's choice, and KFF's 2026 survey found 18% of firms with 200 or more workers cover GLP-1s used primarily for weight loss. Your plan's own formulary decides.
Do Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare or Blue Cross cover GLP-1s for weight loss?
There is no single answer for an insurer, because each sells different plans and an employer often decides whether weight-loss drugs are included. The number on your insurance card can tell you whether a medicine is on your plan's formulary, for which diagnosis, and whether it needs prior authorization.
Does Medicare cover Wegovy?
Part D plans can cover it for an approved use other than weight loss, such as lowering heart risk. The Medicare GLP-1 Bridge lists Wegovy injection and tablets at $50 a month for those who qualify. CMS counts 108,843 people with Part D who filled Wegovy in 2025. Each plan chooses its own formulary, so ask yours.
Does Medicare cover Zepbound?
Part D cannot cover it for weight loss alone. It is also approved for obstructive sleep apnea with obesity. The Medicare GLP-1 Bridge lists the Zepbound KwikPen only, at $50 a month for those who qualify. CMS counts 160,298 people with Part D who filled Zepbound in 2025. Each plan chooses its own formulary, so ask yours.
Does Medicare cover Foundayo?
Part D cannot cover it for weight loss alone. The Medicare GLP-1 Bridge lists Foundayo at $50 a month for those who qualify. Each plan chooses its own formulary, so ask yours.
Does Medicare cover Ozempic?
Part D plans can cover it for type 2 diabetes. CMS counts 2,044,798 people with Part D who filled Ozempic in 2025. Each plan chooses its own formulary, so ask yours.
Does Medicare cover Mounjaro?
Part D plans can cover it for type 2 diabetes. CMS counts 1,592,517 people with Part D who filled Mounjaro in 2025. Each plan chooses its own formulary, so ask yours.
Does Medicare cover Rybelsus?
Part D plans can cover it for type 2 diabetes. CMS counts 280,455 people with Part D who filled Rybelsus in 2025. Each plan chooses its own formulary, so ask yours.
Does Medicare cover Trulicity?
Part D plans can cover it for type 2 diabetes. CMS counts 582,333 people with Part D who filled Trulicity in 2025. Each plan chooses its own formulary, so ask yours.
Does Medicare cover Victoza?
Part D plans can cover it for type 2 diabetes. CMS counts 6,810 people with Part D who filled Victoza in 2025. Each plan chooses its own formulary, so ask yours.
Does Medicare cover Saxenda?
Saxenda is approved only for weight management, so Part D cannot cover it, and the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge does not list it. Each plan chooses its own formulary, so ask yours.
Does Medicaid cover Wegovy?
It depends on your state: coverage for weight loss is each state's choice. From Q2 2025 to Q1 2026, 50 state programs reported paying for Wegovy, 1,788,824 prescriptions in all, most in California (849,776), North Carolina (193,101), Pennsylvania (191,027). A paid prescription does not say what it was prescribed for.
Does Medicaid cover Zepbound?
It depends on your state: coverage for weight loss is each state's choice. From Q2 2025 to Q1 2026, 47 state programs reported paying for Zepbound, 1,846,262 prescriptions in all, most in California (670,963), Massachusetts (218,115), Missouri (197,025). A paid prescription does not say what it was prescribed for.
Does Medicaid cover Ozempic?
It depends on your state: coverage for weight loss is each state's choice. From Q2 2025 to Q1 2026, 52 state programs reported paying for Ozempic, 3,643,489 prescriptions in all, most in California (891,226), New York (461,618), Pennsylvania (218,559). A paid prescription does not say what it was prescribed for.
Does Medicaid cover Saxenda?
It depends on your state: coverage for weight loss is each state's choice. From Q2 2025 to Q1 2026, 15 state programs reported paying for Saxenda, 22,538 prescriptions in all, most in Virginia (8,789), California (7,079), Minnesota (1,919). A paid prescription does not say what it was prescribed for.
Coverage changes with each plan and year. Only your plan can confirm what it covers for you.
GLPcompare is an informational data platform, not a medical provider or pharmacy. Nothing here is medical advice, a diagnosis, or a recommendation to start, stop, or change any treatment. Data is aggregated from public sources and can be incomplete or out of date. Always confirm with a licensed clinician and the current FDA label.