Does Medicare cover weight-los treatments?
Well, ahead
of Super Bowl
Sunday, Swift’s
Eras Tour is
scheduled for
four concerts
at the Tokyo
Dome, Wednes-
day through Saturday.
SAVVY SENIOR
And laparoscopic
adjustable gastric
banding, which
inserts an inflatable
band that creates a
gastric pouch encir-
cling the top of the
stomach.
Dear Savvy Senior,
Does Medicare cover any weight-loss
treatments for overweight retirees? I
just turned 65 and need to lose about
100 pounds and would like to know if
Medicare can help.
(Expect bo-
nus post-game
cameos—and
maybe even
one of the
lovebirds hugging and
kissing, depending on the
outcome. There were two
of those after KC beat the
Ravens, plus two cutaways
to Taylor beaming proudly
during the trophy presenta-
tion.)
Overweight Owen
Dear Owen,
Yes, traditional Medicare does indeed
cover some weight-loss treatments like
counseling and certain types of surgery
for overweight beneficiaries, but unfor-
tunately, it doesn’t cover weight-loss
programs or medications. Here’s what
you should know.
The flight from Narita
International Airport to the
runway on Wayne New-
ton Boulevard is a little
more than 12 hours. But,
thanks to the International
Dateline, Taylor can arrive
Saturday night, well before
kickoff—unless there’s a
glitch.
What’s not cov-
ered
BY JIM MILLER
Unfortunately, original Medicare does
not cover weight-loss programs such
as fitness or gym memberships, meal
delivery services, or popular weight-loss
programs such as Jenny Craig, Noom
and WW (formerly Weight Watchers).
* * *
Prop Bet No. 1— Will
CBS feature an interview
with Taylor Swift as part
of its multi-hour pre-game
programming?
Who’s eligible
For beneficiaries to receive available
Medicare-covered weight-loss treat-
ments your body mass index (BMI),
which is an estimate of your body fat
based on your height and weight, must
be 30 or higher.
Here are some possi-
bilities and my suggested
plays:
Medicare also does not cover any
weight-loss drugs, but it does cover
FDA-approved diabetes drugs that have
unintentionally become very popular for
weight loss.
Over/Under— Will
this game break last year’s
record for largest television
audience?
There’s plenty to talk
about: Her relationship
with Travis . . . What’s in
their future. . . the 12-hour
flight from Japan . . . all the
attention and public fuss
over her budding romance .
. . and . . . and . . .
Medicare Part D plans cover Ozempic
and Mounjaro for diabetes only, not for
weight loss! So, your doctor will need to
prescribe these medications for diabetes
to get them covered.
A BMI of 30 or above is considered
obese and increases your risk for many
health conditions, such as some cancers,
coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes,
stroke and sleep apnea. To determine
your BMI, the National Institutes of
Health has a free calculator that you can
access online at nhlbi.nih.gov/health/
educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm.
When Kelce & Company
knocked off Philadelphia,
115.1 million pairs of eye-
balls watched (according
to those who measure such
things), topping the previ-
ous record set in 2015 by
almost 700,000. (There’s
been no suggestion that
Taylor’s Baby Blues were
among them last Febru-
ary.)
Medicare also does not cover Wegovy
or Zepbound because they’re approved
only for weight loss.
My choice: If she’ll
agree to do it, I can’t imag-
ine the network passing up
the chance. But will she?
I’d say she won’t want to
upstage her beau, so I’d bet
No.
The reason behind the weight-loss
drug omission is the Medicare Mod-
ernization Act, which specifically
excluded them back when the law was
written 20 years ago. They also ex-
cluded drugs used for cosmetic pur-
poses, fertility, hair growth and erectile
dysfunction.
What’s covered
If you find that your BMI is 30 or
higher, Medicare Part B will cover up
to 12 months of weight-loss counseling
conducted by a medical professional in
a primary care setting (like a doctor’s
office).
* * *
Prop Bet No. 2— Will
Taylor Swift be shown
on TV during either the
national anthem or the
halftime show?
My choice: With Swift-
ies tuning-in to once again
catch glimpses of their idol,
take the Over.
Weight-loss medications are expen-
sive without insurance, often costing
$1,000 to $1,300 a month. To help
curb costs, try websites like GoodRX.
com or SingleCare.com to find the best
retail prices in your area. Or, if your
income is limited, try patient assistance
programs through Eli Lilly ( LillyCares.
com ) which makes Mounjaro and Zep-
bound, or Novo Nordisk ( NovoCare.
com ) the maker of Ozempic and We-
govy.
Most counseling sessions entail an ini-
tial obesity screening, a dietary assess-
ment and behavioral therapy designed to
help you lose weight by focusing on diet
and exercise.
* * *
Another Over/Un-
der— Will CBS show Tay-
lor more or fewer than six
times between kickoff and
0:00?
Reba McEntire, called the
“Queen of Country,” will
sing The Star-Spangled
Banner , and Usher, her-
alded as the “King of R&B,”
will be the star of intermis-
sion.
Medicare also covers certain types
of bariatric and metabolic surgery for
morbidly obese beneficiaries who have a
BMI of 35 or above and have at least one
underlying obesity-related health condi-
tion, such as diabetes or heart disease.
You must also show that you’ve tried to
lose weight in the past through dieting
or exercise and have been unsuccessful.
In the American Football
Conference Championship
Game Sunday before last,
the same network cut away
to the future Mrs. Kelce
My choice: Of course, a
resounding Yes! Who could
pass up checking on the
Medicare Advantage
If you happen to be enrolled in a pri-
vate Medicare Advantage plan, you may
have coverage for gym memberships
and some weight loss and healthy food
delivery programs. These are consid-
ered expanded supplemental benefits
and have gradually been added to some
plans to provide coverage for nutrition,
health and wellness. Contact your plan
to see what it provides.
These procedures change your diges-
tive system to help you lose weight and
improve the health of your metabolism.
Some common bariatric surgical
procedures covered include Roux-en-Y
gastric bypass surgery, which reduces
the stomach to a small pouch that makes
you feel full even following small meals.
Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.
P.O. Box 93, Black Hawk, CO 80422
