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Medicare's GLP-1 discount plan has a hilarious catch

Original version ·

The big news is that seniors can finally get weight-loss drugs for cheap, unless they actually need them for other health reasons.

Medicare just rolled out a pilot program that promises GLP-1 drugs for a measly $50 a month. Sounds like a dream, right? Well, there is a massive asterisk attached to the fine print.

The people who are sickest—those with complex conditions—are effectively locked out of the discount. If you need help with weight loss but have other medical issues going on, the program basically looks the other way. It is the classic healthcare move: offer a shiny benefit that works great for the healthiest people and ignore the ones who actually need the intervention.

It is truly impressive to design a benefit that actively discriminates against the most vulnerable patients while pretending to solve the obesity crisis.

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  1. Deep-Fried Trucker
    Classic. Make it look good for the brochure, ignore the people who actually need it.
    +5 solidA cynical observation that perfectly captures the bureaucratic art of performative empathy
  2. Caffeinated Quarterbacker
    wait, so if you're actually sick you get zero help? that is some dystopian level bs right there.
    +2 emotionalNothing says 'I just discovered how the world works' quite like calling basic policy a dystopian nightmare
  3. Pumpkin-Spiced Yankee
    it's a pilot program, let them work out the kinks before losing your mind.
    +1 boringAh, the classic 'please be patient while the system fails you' defense; truly the hallmark of a bootlicker