GLP-1 Medications

[Aimeedyan]

I started on a compound GLP over a year ago and saw absolutely ZERO effects for months. I was so disappointed. It was only after I scaled up quite a bit did I see anything, and it was incredibly slow.

Realizing my insurance might cover it, my PCP submitted Wegovy for approval and it was approved for weight loss at 100%. I stopped seeing any changes so he recommended Zepbound. Switching meant completely starting over with the lowest doses so again, took a few months to see anything but I finally did!

Then my insurance stopped covering Zepbound and forced everyone to Wegovy.

So I had to go back to low doses of Wegovy, 4 weeks at a time, to get back to the level that had semi-worked prior.

I've been sitting at 2.4 for months now. Some weeks, it feels like it's doing nothing and other weeks I feel the effects. I'm down 65 pounds since Nov 2024, so clearly it's not been rapid! I still have another 20 to go, and I'm putting in extra work to try and get there.

I have no symptoms, no pain injecting Wegovy or Zepbound (I prefer abdomen), and my insurance covers it. It's been a huge win for me and I'm grateful for the help and support.

 

[disneychrista]

It's basically all just a numbers game with insurances. If they think that they will make more money, spend less money, etc. overall if they don't cover something that they aren't required to cover, then they probably won't cover it.
I didn
Once the patents expire and if/when the generics get cheap or at least affordable, I would expect the coverage rate to increase significantly

Yeah I am sure eventually there will be a generic. It didn't even dawn on me that it wouldn't be covered at all. I figured it would be covered at the name-brand price.

 

[Tatebeck]

For most people they and their employers pay for the insurance (though for some it is covered in part by the government (Medicare) or entirely (Medicaid)).

So patients and employers (and yes the gov't) pay the insurance companies, then those insurance companies (who are for profit) try to keep as much of that money as possible and only pay out what is necessary

It's just not doable right now. There are an estimated 100 Million obese people in the USA. At the average cost of around $1,000 per month, it would cost the insurance companies 100 Billion Dollars Per month to cover everyone on a GLP-1.

They aren't willing or able to do that, and even if they did want to, guess what, everyone's insurance would have to increase in cost by around $1,000 per month to cover it so the insurance companies stay positive.