Cost notes · Paying for care
Get the whole cost on paper
Ask what the ongoing bill includes, and what you pay after the starting offer ends.
Prices and coverage as of September 26, 2026.
What might the medicine cost?
Semaglutide brands include Ozempic and Wegovy; tirzepatide brands include Mounjaro and Zepbound, for type 2 diabetes or weight control depending on brand.
These drugs are often called GLP-1 medicines because they imitate a signal made by the body to help regulate hunger and blood sugar.
Prices for these weight and diabetes medicines differ across cash offers, insurance, and discount cards.
A drug company publishes the amount called its list price. That published amount is not a price quote for your care.
A cash offer is for payment outside insurance. Paying cash does not count toward the plan’s yearly cap on what you pay.
What sits outside that price?
Some online weight-care services charge a membership fee and bill for the medicine separately.
Request an itemized bill showing medicine, visits, delivery, tests, and follow-up as separate costs. Ask what repeats each month and what is paid in advance.
Request a written explanation of the rules for cancelling and getting a refund. Compare the same medicine and the same set of services.
Will insurance pay?
Check whether your particular insurance plan pays for this drug when prescribed for your medical need.
The words in the plan’s answer
Your plan calls its medicine list a formulary. If prior authorization is needed, your plan must agree before it will pay.
A medicine that can qualify for coverage is not automatically covered by every plan.
A savings card is a different offer
Drug-company savings cards for these medicines require private or workplace insurance and exclude Medicare and Medicaid enrollees.
A separate cash offer may still be available to someone on a government plan.
What about Medicare?
Medicare’s usual prescription drug plan still excludes medicines used only for weight loss. Under its own rules, the plan may cover the drug for a different accepted medical use, such as diabetes.
Medicare GLP-1 Bridge offers a temporary, separate route for certain weight-loss medicines; a covered medicine costs $50 per month for people who qualify.
Bridge access begins July 1, 2026; the closing date is December 31, 2027, and pharmacy payments are handled apart from your usual Medicare drug plan.
Your usual Medicare drug coverage has an annual limit on your own spending; the Bridge’s $50 payment does not go toward that limit. Only some people with Medicare drug coverage qualify; the person who prescribes the medicine must send a separate request for Bridge approval.
Discuss both routes with your prescriber and insurance plan: using your usual drug coverage or applying for Bridge approval.