Medicare Will Soon Cover Obesity Medications, But Many Seniors May Not Know It

Millions of older Americans on Medicare are about to gain access to anti-obesity drugs for the first time, but that historic change may go unnoticed by many of them.

Starting Wednesday, eligible beneficiaries can get obesity medications through Medicare's new Bridge demonstration program for a monthly copay of just $50. The coverage marks a long-sought victory for patients, doctors and obesity advocates who have pushed for broader access to successful obesity treatments. Nordisk and Eli Lillythat have remained out of reach for many Americans.

But a staggering 82% of all older Americans (including 79% of Republicans and 84% of Democrats) say they don't know that Medicare is about to start covering obesity medications, according to a survey released in early June by the Obesity Care Advocacy Network. The survey, conducted in late March among more than 2,100 adults aged 65 and over, was completed weeks before the government announced it would extend the Bridge program until 2027.

That data may not come as a surprise: While the government has done a lot of outreach to health care providers and pharmacists, some doctors and other experts told CNBC they've noticed limited advertising of the new coverage to the general public by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services or Novo and Lilly.

There may be good reasons for this. CMS has done limited public outreach about the program before July 1 because beneficiaries are “more motivated to take action” when a benefit is actually available to them, an agency official told reporters Thursday. They added that CMS will do more promotions after the launch, “in order to be good stewards of our taxpayers' money.”

Other experts also told CNBC that it may come down to making sure providers and pharmacies are prepared and resources are in place before doing broad public outreach.

Still, some experts say a lack of knowledge may delay some eligible adults from taking advantage of the new coverage and receiving treatments right away.

“I haven't seen a lot of information available to the public, and I think there will be a lot of people who won't have any knowledge about the Bridge program,” said Dr. Shauna Levy, medical director of the Tulane Weight Loss and Bariatric Center. “And I think it will take even longer for patients to find out and then see if they are eligible.”

Unlike traditional Medicare drug coverage, enrollment in the Bridge program is not automatic. Patients must meet eligibility requirements, obtain a prescription, and receive prior authorization through CMS before coverage begins.

The relatively quiet lead-up to the launch contrasts with the marketing campaigns Novo and Lilly have historically deployed for their obesity and diabetes drugs, which have appeared everywhere from TV ads to subway ads.

Novo spent nearly $500 million on U.S. advertising for its obesity drug Wegovy and its diabetes counterpart Ozempic in the first nine months of 2025, more than double the just over $200 million Lilly spent promoting its rival shots, Zepbound and Mounjaro, Reuters reported, citing data from ad tracking firm MediaRadar.

“I was a little surprised that Lilly and Novo haven't done more advertising to get seniors ready to receive their prescriptions,” said Leerink Partners analyst David Risinger, adding that it takes time to make an appointment with a provider to get one.

Medicare beneficiaries must be enrolled in Part D, a prescription drug plan, to qualify for the new coverage. But because the Bridge program is administered directly by CMS rather than through Part D plans, private insurers do not need to play a role in educating beneficiaries about the new coverage.

“That whole marketing advantage of having it implemented in Part D plans doesn't exist,” said Kenneth Thorpe, a health policy professor at Emory University.

He said “getting the word out” about the program and who is eligible will likely be one of the biggest challenges of the launch.

Eligibility for the program is broad, but certain patients will not qualify. That includes those who already receive coverage of a GLP-1 from their Part D plan for a use already covered by Medicare, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease risk reduction, or sleep apnea.

While the publicity coverage of GLP-1 may not reflect previous launches, there has been some promotion leading up to the launch.

Specific mentions on Novo's social media and website are promoting the Bridge program, Jamey Millar, executive vice president of the company's U.S. operations, said in an interview Wednesday.

He acknowledged that there are no linear television ads promoting the new coverage, but said he believes awareness among patients will come from providers and pharmacies. CMS has engaged in extensive communication with both about the upcoming program, according to some doctors.

Millar compared the dynamic to the annual flu shot or shingles vaccine for older adults.

“Any senior who walks into a retail pharmacy after July 1, on average, takes eight medications, most of them oral, so the pharmacist has the opportunity to ask: Did you know about Bridge?” he told CNBC. “So they are equipped to do it, and then [health-care providers] also.”

The limited public disclosure before July 1 may be by design. A slower rollout could give doctors, pharmacies and CMS time to prepare before potentially large numbers of beneficiaries begin seeking treatment.

“We generally take the view that we need to make sure doctors are prepared, similar to what we did with Foundayo, before we build broad awareness among consumers,” Ilya Yuffa, president of Lilly USA and global client capabilities, said in an interview Wednesday.

Yuffa was referring to the recent launch of Lilly's anti-obesity pill, Foundayo. Raising awareness among providers and the broader health system first helps avoid “friction” between patients and doctors, he said.

Still, Yuffa said consumers should expect to see broader marketing efforts from Lilly around the availability of Foundayo and a form of Zepbound through the Bridge program.

Some experts suggested CMS may also be trying to ensure the program can handle an influx of interest. Beneficiaries must obtain prior authorization before receiving coverage, and processing those applications could become a significant task if demand increases immediately after launch.

“Maybe so, let's cut back on the first month and see what mistakes we make, so we can fix it, rather than everything crashing and burning in a month or two,” said Dr. Holly Lofton, director of the NYU Langone Medical Weight Management Program.

“The thing is, the access is there and hopefully the world will move,” he said.