The Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program launched on July 1, 2026, giving eligible Medicare Part D enrollees access to Wegovy, Zepbound, and the new oral GLP-1 pill Foundayo at a fixed $50 monthly copay. For many seniors who were previously paying more than $1,000 a month out of pocket, or going without treatment entirely, the program is a genuine breakthrough in access.
But the program has an expiration date. Coverage ends on December 31, 2027. The longer-term program originally designed to replace it — the BALANCE Model — has been delayed indefinitely by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. No permanent legislative fix to Medicare's statutory prohibition on covering weight-loss drugs has been passed by Congress. Seniors who pick up their first prescription this month are beginning an 18-month treatment course with no guaranteed path to affordable coverage when it ends.
