Insurance Plans Cut Coverage for Blockbuster Obesity Drugs - News Directory 3

Insurance Plans Cut Coverage for Blockbuster Obesity Drugs

April 17, 2026 Jennifer Chen Health
News Context
At a glance
  • Insurance coverage of blockbuster obesity drugs has been spotty at best over the years, and it looks like things are getting worse, not better.
  • For Megan Lena, a special education teacher in Massachusetts, the impact of these changes has been deeply personal.
  • Lena switched to Wegovy, which CVS Caremark had designated as its new preferred drug at the same copay, and found it effective for her.
Original source: npr.org

Insurance coverage of blockbuster obesity drugs has been spotty at best over the years, and it looks like things are getting worse, not better. Plans are dropping coverage or restricting it further.

For Megan Lena, a special education teacher in Massachusetts, the impact of these changes has been deeply personal. Last spring, she received a letter from CVS Caremark, the company that manages her drug benefits, announcing that Eli Lilly’s Zepbound would be dropped from coverage in July. She had been able to afford the medication with a $30 copay and had lost 50 pounds over the course of a year.