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Medicare is starting a program called the GLP1 Bridge program.
The basics of the program are:
1) This is available to Medicare recipients but is a special program not associated with your drug plan.
2) Begins 7/1 and runs through 12/31/27, with no details at this time as to what will occur after the scheduled end date.
3) $50 copayment is for all four levels of dosages (some other programs only cover the starting dosage then the copayments sky rocket).
4) Covers several injectables and the new Wegovy pill
Here is the link to the Medicare page:
https://www.cms.gov/medicare/coverage/prescription-drug-coverage/medicare-glp-1-bridge
The details of the program were only released three days ago so when I went to my PCP yesterday he had only heard some rumors about it. Me being me I had the link read to give him. I’m beginning July 1.
If you are like me and have struggled with your weight despite eating a fairly healthy diet, and exercising regularly (last year I either worked out or performed heavy yard work 70% of the days of the year, including stationary biking 1,300 miles and 99 sessions of weight lifting) and still have problems managing your weight you might want to investigate this program.
Is the link working for folks? It isn’t for me.
I’m seeing my doctor in a couple of weeks and have already messaged him that I want to discuss a GLP-1, primarily because of multiple risk factors for heart disease. I also struggle to lose weight and keep it off despite excellent exercise habits. I’d heard about the new Medicare program and am glad to see more details.
This post has been rattling around my head for the past day, and despite my better judgement, I can’t stay quiet. So here we go with an opinion most will disagree with.
The First Law of Thermodynamics is not a matter of opinion. Energy is conserved — full stop, no exceptions. Which means if something isn’t adding up, the measurement is wrong, not the physics. The culprit almost certainly lives on the consumption side of the equation: fix the tracking error and GLP1 medication becomes redundant.
I understand the point about thermodynamics, but obesity science is more complicated than “calories in, calories out” in practice. The body regulates hunger, satiety, metabolism, insulin signaling, and reward pathways through hormones and brain chemistry — and those systems don’t function the same way for everyone.
GLP-1 medications don’t “break” the First Law of Thermodynamics. They change the biological drivers that influence eating behavior and energy balance. There’s actually a growing body of newer research on GLP-1 medications for anyone interested in digging into the science. Their effects appear to involve receptors throughout the brain and body that influence appetite regulation, reward pathways, insulin response, inflammation, and metabolism — so their benefits go well beyond simply slowing stomach emptying or reducing “willpower failures.”
I think it’s great when people can manage weight through lifestyle changes alone, but that experience isn’t universal, and the research increasingly supports obesity as a complex chronic disease rather than simply a character issue.
Mark,
Iknow I have a consumption issue, but in my case I also have a genetic marker that causes a much delayed signal that my stomach is full. A few hours later I become ravingishly hungry so I eat after dinner. Years ago I dieted when I reached 220#, mostly by being hungry all the time and satiating the hunger with baby raw baby carrots (which I can’t stand now). I lost 55# and a lot of muscle mass to boot. Over the years I slowly regained all the weight. I have always said if there was a fiber pill that I could take at dinner that would expand and fill my stomach I would be all set, but alas there isn’t. The GLP1 slows the stomach processing which does the something similar.
I too always thought that weight conundrum was simple math, ie calories in vs calories out, and I could exercise my way out. But after nearly 40 years of exercise, and thinking about everything I put in my mouth I have to try something else. At nearly 70 and in the past year realizing I just can’t exercise as much as I used to it’s time to try something different.
Please understand that you have not insulted me, nor I am I attacking you. I just felt like presenting the facts.
David, that sounds like a truly awful affliction, I hope the medication brings you some relief and it shows there’s always more than one side to an issue beyond the obvious.
My own situation is a different kind of battle: I’m rarely hungry these days. I’ve found an unlikely workaround, though. When I eat out with my ten-year-old grandson, we’ve developed a foolproof system — he orders what I want from the kids’ menu, I order what he wants from the adult menu, and then we swap plates. He gets his feast, I get my smaller portion, and the waiter gets a story to tell when he gets home.
I know a 25 year old female who was taking the GLP1 injection. She started in February this year and was doing great. Lost ~45lbs until a few weeks ago, the injection was causing intense abdominal pain and she ended up being rushed to the hospital by ambulance. The doctor stopped the injections and advised her to not go back on it ever again.
She may have experienced gastroparesis which is paralysis of the GI tract which is a relatively rare complication, which I am concerned about and will be on the lookout for.
Great news, Dave. We have been paying cash for Wegovy. Thanks.