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S.C. – Medicare has expanded coverage for glucagon-like peptide-1, or GLP-1, weight loss medications, a decision that health providers say is already driving more patients to seek treatment
Weight loss medications cost some patients hundreds of dollars per month out of pocket. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which administers Medicare, announced coverage for the drugs for enrollees who meet certain medical criteria, including obesity
Cody Belk, a physician assistant at Grand Strand Health, said the coverage change is increasing access for patients in the area
“It means a lot for the people here in Myrtle Beach; it opens up new avenues for people to get healthy and really lose some weight,” Belk said. “Traditionally with the GLP-1s, it’s been cost-prohibitive for so many people. And now that Medicare is starting to cover it with restrictions, it’s really opening up a lot. We are seeing a good influx of patients into our medical weight loss clinic.”
Grand Strand Medical Center said an initial consultation is an important first step
Those consultations give patients access to a lifestyle program that includes personalized dietary planning, including an assessment of food types and calorie targets based on each individual’s body and lifestyle
Dr. Wesley Vosburg of Grand Strand Health, who directs a bariatric surgery program at the medical center, said the facility also offers a medical weight loss program
“There we offer surgical weight loss support, for during and long time after surgery, and we recently built a medical weight loss program to go with it,” Vosburg said. “And medical weight loss is everything we do to treat obesity, except surgery. So we kind of offer all of the different people that help you.”
Experts cited multiple health benefits associated with weight loss, including decreased sleep apnea, lower blood pressure and improved diabetes management
They said the treatments can also reduce the risk of heart attacks, including for patients who are not considered obese
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