New obesity medication polling shows Americans want Medicare and Medicaid to cover weight loss drugs

Medicare and Medicaid are in the news again, and polling obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter shows that an overwhelming majority of Americans want both programs to cover prescription medications used for weight management.

A new poll, conducted by J.L. Partners on behalf of the Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition (DPAC), shows that Americans are simultaneously increasingly familiar with the suite of obesity treatment prescription medications that have exploded in recent years and that Americans would like these medications — such as Wegovy, Saxenda, Zepbound, and others — to be covered by Medicare and Medicaid.

J.L. Partners surveyed 1,010 registered voters across America and found that 86 percent were at least familiar with these types of treatments.

The poll found a statistical tie in support for both Medicare and Medicaid covering these drugs; the former clocked in with 73 percent who strongly or somewhat support coverage, the latter receiving 74 percent. The support is bipartisan across all age groups. A series of cited studies from the New England Journal of Medicine and the University of Southern California illustrated the weight loss drugs’ significant economic and health benefits, and respondents’ strong support for coverage shifted notably when made aware of these benefits.

While strong majorities have heard of these treatments and support coverage of them, they are not as widely-used amongst the respondents. 59 percent of those surveyed said that either they or members of their immediate family have not used any of them for treatment.