Does Medicare cover Zepbound or Wegovy for weight loss?

Not for weight loss as such: by statute, Part D excludes drugs used for weight loss. Part D plans may cover Wegovy for its cardiovascular indication and Zepbound for obstructive sleep apnoea in eligible patients, because those are medically accepted indications other than weight loss.

Published August 27, 2026 · updated August 27, 2026 · regulatory and clinical facts last checked 2026-08-27 · medically reviewed by Dr. S. Shuwart, MD on August 27, 2026

Medically reviewed · August 27, 2026

Medicare, Medicaid and GLP-1 coverage for weight management

Why Medicare Part D does not cover drugs prescribed for weight loss, how the cardiovascular and sleep-apnoea indications changed coverage, what happened to the proposal to cover anti-obesity medications, and how Medicaid coverage varies by state.

Facts on this page were checked at the medical review dated above; coverage rules change, and this page is re-checked at each review.

Medicare Part D

Part D incorporates the Medicaid statute’s list of drugs a plan may exclude, which includes agents used for weight loss. As a result Part D plans have not covered GLP-1s prescribed for weight management. In 2024 CMS confirmed that Part D plans may cover an anti-obesity medication when it is prescribed for a medically accepted indication other than weight loss, which opened coverage of Wegovy for cardiovascular risk reduction in eligible patients and, after the December 2024 label change, of Zepbound for obstructive sleep apnoea in adults with obesity. Plans may still apply prior authorisation.

In late 2024 CMS proposed, for contract year 2026, to reinterpret the exclusion so that Part D and Medicaid would cover anti-obesity medications for the treatment of obesity. In April 2025 the agency declined to finalise that proposal. Any later change would be recorded here at the next review.

Medicaid

State Medicaid programmes decide whether to cover anti-obesity medications; a minority cover GLP-1s for obesity, most with prior authorisation and BMI criteria, and several have added or removed coverage as budgets changed. Coverage for type 2 diabetes indications is broader. The state pages on this site record Medicaid coverage status once verified for each state.

Practical consequences

Manufacturer savings cards cannot be used with Medicare or Medicaid. For a Medicare patient without a qualifying non-weight-loss indication, the options are the manufacturers’ direct-to-patient cash prices, retail cash prices, or compounded products, with the differences described on the brand vs compounded page. The prescriber’s documented indication decides which path applies.

Questions this page answers

Does Medicare cover Zepbound or Wegovy for weight loss?: Not for weight loss as such: by statute, Part D excludes drugs used for weight loss. Part D plans may cover Wegovy for its cardiovascular indication and Zepbound for obstructive sleep apnoea in eligible patients, because those are medically accepted indications other than weight loss.

Sources

Social Security Act §1860D-2(e)(2)(A) (Part D excluded drugs, incorporating Medicaid's weight-loss exclusion) (statute)
CMS guidance on Part D coverage of anti-obesity medications for medically accepted indications (2024) (regulator)
CMS Contract Year 2026 Part D proposed rule and final rule (2024–2025) (regulator)

Educational information, not medical advice. Decisions about GLP-1 medication belong with you and a licensed clinician who knows your history. Compounded medications are not FDA-approved. Report an error.