Medicare has a new program to help pay for certain GLP one weight loss medicines.

Our Christy Dutton spoke to a pharmacist to find out who is eligible and what's covered.

More in today's medical news.

Norton, clinical Pharmacist Katherine Secretary is here with us to talk about the new Medicare GLP one bridge program.

Okay, this is getting a lot of attention.

So give us a rundown.

What is this?

This is a new program from the center for Medicare Services that is specifically targeted for patients with overweight and obesity.

Okay.

It is for expanded access to GLP one therapies, for patients that currently don't have access to them through their Medicare Part D program.

Okay.

So what GLP one medications does this cover?

There are four medications that are covered under this new program, two of them being oral therapies and two of them being injectable therapies.

The two oral therapies are with govi and found Deyo.

And the two injectable therapies are an injectable version of the Govi and Zepp band.

Okay.

And so this is mainly for weight loss for people who have Medicare Part D. Yes, right.

So, who how do they determine who's eligible for this?

If somebody says, well, you know, I have Medicare, I'm interested in a GLP one weight loss program.

And what do they need to do?

So, recommend talking with their provider first to determine if they're eligible.

The GLP one bridge program has three kind of categories that patients fall into.

So one of them being a BMI above 35, a BMI above 30 with certain comorbidities and that body mass index.

Right.

Yes.

That's correct.

Thank you.

Or a body mass index above 27 with certain comorbidities.

Okay.

So if you fall into those categories, then you are eligible for this program.

There are patients that do not fall into this category that could be eligible for a GLP one through their regular Medicare Part D. Okay.

Got it.

And that maybe somebody with diabetes type two or or some of the more traditional, uses for GLP one.

Exactly.

So type two diabetes is a great example.

Other examples that would go through regular Medicare Part D would be moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea or a condition called Mash, which is also known as fatty liver disease.

Okay.

Got it.

Now the big question is because DLP ones, even if they're prescribed you a lot of the insurance doesn't cover it, but with Medicare covering it, that is going to bring that cost down significantly, because they can cost over $1,000 for a month's supply.

So the big question is how much is it going to cost?

Absolutely.

That's a great question.

So through the Medicare GLP one bridge program, the cost of the medicine is $50 per month.

And that does not necessarily go towards your deductible or your out of pocket Max.

It is just a flat rate of $50 per month okay.

Yeah, that's a lot cheaper than $1,000 or a handful.

So that, that would be great.

So this will definitely expand that access to these drugs for many.

But this program is not permanent yet.

So.

For now, the center for Medicaid Medicare Services has guaranteed this program through December 31st, 2027.

Okay.

And we're hoping at that time that the program gets expanded.

But we have no guarantees on that at this time.

Okay.

So if you're interested, don't wait too long.

Exactly.

Well, thank you so much for your time.

Thank you for all this information.

You're welcome.

Thank you so much for having me.