Drugstores Report Increased Prescriptions for Medicare Obesity Drug Program

Why it matters locally: The increase in prescriptions for obesity medications through the Medicare Bridge program will likely affect a significant number of New Jersey's 9.29 million residents who are Medicare beneficiaries and eligible for the program, potentially improving access to care and reducing healthcare costs for some.

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Drugstore chains CVS and Walgreens have each dispensed 100,000 prescriptions under a new Medicare initiative. The program, known as Bridge, launched on July 1. It provides certain Medicare beneficiaries access to obesity medications for a monthly cost of $50. The Bridge program aims to increase access to specific obesity drugs for eligible Medicare participants. CVS and Walgreens began processing these prescriptions shortly after the program's implementation.