STAT+: Trump’s obesity drug plan creates a temporary Medicare program that may be hard to end

Medicare will offer weight loss drugs to adults aged 65 and older starting next month through a temporary government program, a move that circumvents a federal law prohibiting Medicare from covering obesity drugs. The Trump administration is implementing this as a demonstration program. Initially, Medicare intended to encourage private Medicare insurers to voluntarily cover these drugs through a three-year initiative named BALANCE, which was planned to commence after a brief transitional period. However, private insurers declined to participate, leading the federal government to extend the transitional coverage program, known as Bridge, until the end of 2025. This extension allows Medicare beneficiaries access to these medications while a more permanent solution is sought, though the temporary nature of the Bridge program raises questions about its eventual discontinuation.