Lauren Oshman, MD, MPH, FAAFP, associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine, consultant with Michigan Medicine’s Weight Navigation Program, and program director for the Michigan Collaborative for Type 2 Diabetes, was featured in a recent front-page story in the Detroit Free Press about the high costs of weight management medications such as Wegovy® and Ozempic®.
Oshman said these weight-loss medications could be a ‘game-changer’ in treating obesity and reducing the heightened risk of obesity-related diabetes, kidney disease and other health complications. Her recent study of older adults shows support for insurance coverage of these medications.
However, physicians and insurers face challenges when deciding whether to prescribe and cover them, citing that in doing so, it could significantly raise the cost of health insurance and health care for everyone.
Read Oshman’s comments in the Detroit Free Press story here
See Oshman’s faculty profile on the Department of Family Medicine’s website here
Also read: Medicare doesn’t cover obesity drugs, but 76% of older adults think it should
