About one in eight adults (12%) say they’ve taken one among an more and more common class of pharmaceuticals referred to as GLP-1s which can be used for weight reduction and to deal with diabetes and cut back the chance of coronary heart illness and stroke, a new KFF Health Tracking Poll finds. This contains 6% of adults who say they’re presently taking one among these medication, which embody Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro
The shares of adults who report ever taking these medication is highest amongst individuals with diabetes (43%), adopted by these with coronary heart illness (26%) and people who have weight problems or chubby (22%), the ballot finds.
Amongst those that report ever taking the medication, most (61%) say that they took the medication to deal with a power situation resembling diabetes or coronary heart illness – both alone (39%) or together with dropping pounds (23%). Practically 4 in ten (38%) say that they took the medication solely to shed weight.
Checklist costs for GLP-1 medication can high $1,000 for a month’s provide previous to insurance coverage protection, rebates, and low cost coupons. About half (54%) of those that report ever taking the medication say it was troublesome to afford them, together with one in 5 (22%) who say it was “very troublesome.”
Having insurance coverage protection makes little distinction to sufferers’ perceptions of the medication’ affordability, with related shares of these lined by insurance coverage saying the medication have been troublesome (53%) or very troublesome (23%) to afford.
Many of the Public Favors Medicare Protection of Weight-Loss Medicine Even After Listening to Competing Arguments
Whereas 9% of older adults ages 65 and older report ever taking the medication, few (1%) say they did so solely for weight reduction – doubtless reflecting Medicare’s prohibition on the protection of prescription weight-loss medication. Medicare covers a few of the medication for diabetes and different circumstances.
About six in ten adults (61%) say that Medicare ought to cowl these medication when prescribed for weight reduction for people who find themselves chubby. This contains related shares throughout age teams, and greater than half of Democrats, independents, and Republicans.
The ballot additionally examined the impression of arguments for and in opposition to Medicare protection, with brief descriptions explaining that it may enhance premiums for individuals with Medicare and place monetary strain on the Medicare program and the federal finances, however that it may assist extra individuals afford the medicines and enhance the well being and high quality of lifetime of people who find themselves chubby.
These arguments did little to vary the general public’s views, with related shares of the general public general and the assorted subgroups persevering with to favor Medicare protection.
Different findings embody:
• About eight in ten (82%) adults say they’ve heard at the very least “just a little” about these medication, together with about three in ten (32%) who say they’ve heard “lots” about them. Consciousness is up since July 2023, when about one in 5 (19%) mentioned they heard lots in regards to the medication.
• About eight in ten (79%) adults who’ve taken GLP-1 medication report getting these medication or a prescription for them from their major care physician or a specialist. Fewer report getting them from a web based supplier or web site (11%), a medical spa or aesthetic medical middle (10%), or some other place (2%).
Designed and analyzed by public opinion researchers at KFF. The survey was carried out April 23-Might 1, 2024, on-line and by phone amongst a nationally consultant pattern of 1,479 U.S. adults in English and in Spanish. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 proportion factors for the complete pattern. For outcomes based mostly on different subgroups, the margin of sampling error could also be larger.
