Put a price in its proper context
The cost examples below were checked on September 26, 2026.
The same weight-loss medicine can have different prices under cash offers, insurance or a government programme.
A maker’s cash-price example
Semaglutide (Wegovy) injection.
$349 per monthly box.
This was the regular cash price for the standard box, outside insurance.
The higher-strength Wegovy HD box was $399 per month.
Temporary offers for starting treatment had different terms.
An insurance plan’s yearly limit applies to your share of covered bills. Cash paid through these drug-maker programmes does not count toward that limit.
A temporary Medicare route
$50 per monthly supply.
A temporary Medicare programme offers certain weight-loss medicines at this copayment to eligible members.
A copayment is the share the member pays for a covered supply.
At this check, the programme’s start was July 1, 2026, and its final date was December 31, 2027.
It operates outside the normal Medicare drug benefit, called Part D.
Whether you qualify depends on your health, your insurance plan and past treatment. You need a prescription and approval of the request.
In 2026, a service working for Medicare’s programme checks and approves the request, rather than your own drug plan.
Ask the prescriber how to send that request and get its answer.
Part D has a yearly limit on your own spending for medicines it covers. Payments of $50 in this programme stay outside Part D’s yearly spending limit.
Discount coupons cannot be added to this programme.
Read Medicare’s weight-drug pageFind out what your plan may pay
Insurance rules as of September 26, 2026.
Normal Medicare Part D excludes drugs when their use is only for weight loss.
A medicine may qualify for cover when it treats another accepted condition, such as diabetes.
Even if a medicine qualifies for cover, your plan may still decide not to pay.
Approval required before a plan pays is called prior authorisation.
Ask for the cost beyond the first offer
Ask for a written total you can compare with another offer. These questions help separate a first offer from an ongoing cost.
- Does the price include the visit, the medicine, or both?
- Are tests, supplies or shipping separate?
- Is there a membership fee even when no medicine is sent?
- When does an introductory offer end?
- What will the next refill and visit cost?
- What are the cancellation and refund terms?
At the September 26, 2026 check, many cash offers and savings cards were due to end on December 31, 2026.
That date is a reason to check the price again. It gives no answer about what offer will follow.
Take the rest of your visit questions