WASHINGTON — A House committee overwhelmingly passed four bills on Thursday that would expand Medicare coverage of obesity drugs and cancer screening blood tests and place guardrails around Medicare’s discretion in covering drugs and devices approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
The House Ways & Means Committee passed obesity drug coverage legislation that would offer a limited pathway for adults 65 and older to get their weight loss drugs paid for by Medicare. Right now, Medicare is prohibited from covering medications used for weight loss, like Wegovy and Zepbound.
However, the new plan is significantly more restrictive than prior proposals. It’s primarily targeted at making sure that people currently taking weight loss drugs don’t get kicked off when they enter the Medicare program, such as by turning 65.
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