白宫新闻稿没有提及药物的具体名称，但可以知道这些药物主要指的是诺和诺德的“司美格鲁肽”（semaglutide）和礼来的“替尔泊肽”（tirzepatide）。1. The Biden administration has proposed expanding the coverage of federal medical insurance and medical subsidies to include weight loss drugs; 2. The White House said that these drugs can prevent type 2 diabetes, reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease, but are currently too expensive for Americans; 3. This proposal may be blocked by the Trump administration taking office next year, as Senator Kennedy opposes weight loss drugs.
Finance Association News November 27th (Editor Zhao Hao) On Tuesday local time (November 26th), the U.S. White House announced on its official website that the Biden-Harris administration proposed to expand the coverage of federal medical insurance (Medicare) and medical subsidies (Medicaid) to include popular weight loss drugs.
Source: White House Official Website
The White House press release did not mention the specific names of the drugs, but it can be known that these drugs mainly refer to Novo Nordisk's semaglutide and Eli Lilly's tirzepatide.
The news release states that it is estimated that 42% of the U.S. population suffers from obesity - now widely regarded as a chronic disease, which increases the risk of all-cause mortality and various related complications such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, and some cancers.
The White House said that these weight loss drugs can help prevent the development of type 2 diabetes, reduce deaths and incidence rates caused by heart disease and other cardiovascular diseases by up to 20%, but for most Americans, these crucial treatments are too expensive to afford.
"Without insurance, the monthly cost of these drugs could be as high as $1,000." In addition to including drugs in insurance, the White House also plans to reduce drug costs, including launching drug price negotiation plans and increasing market competition.
Market data shows that Novo Nordisk's semaglutide injection solution 'Wegovy' for long-term weight management has a monthly cost of around $1,300 in the U.S.; Eli Lilly's tirzepatide injection solution 'Zepbound' is also as high as $1,000.
USA Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra told the media, 'Today is a good day for people with obesity. For Americans who could not afford these drugs before, this will change the game.'
Media analysis suggests that the new proposal by the Biden administration could cost US taxpayers up to 35 billion dollars over the next decade, and the incoming Trump administration next year is likely to block these measures.
Two weeks ago, President-elect Trump chose Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy Jr. is not only a well-known anti-vaccine activist but also holds a strong opposition to weight-loss drugs.
Before Trump's victory, Kennedy Jr. posted a short video on Instagram discussing 'Ozempic' (Ozempic, a drug by novo-nordisk a/s), 'Pharmaceutical companies count on selling this drug to Americans because we are too stupid and too addicted to drugs.'
At that time, Kennedy Jr. pointed out that Ozempic would not 'restore health in America,' and even in Denmark, where novo-nordisk a/s is headquartered, they 'do not recommend using the drug to treat diabetes and obesity; they suggest changing diet and lifestyle habits.'
Source: Social media account of young Trump
For a long time, Kennedy Jr. has believed that America needs to curb obesity by reducing the content of high sugar, high fat, and highly processed foods in the national diet. He has also complained that what Trump eats is 'terribly bad.'
Earlier this year, Kennedy Jr. told federal lawmakers at a roundtable meeting, 'For half the price of Ozempic, we can buy organic food produced through regenerative agriculture methods for Americans, providing three meals a day and a gym membership for every obese American.'
