What Do GLP-1 Drugs Cost Under Medicare?

Your cost under the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge is a flat $50 copayment for a one-month supply (28 or 30 days, depending on the drug). That amount is the same regardless of your income.

What the $50 does not do

This is the part that surprises people. Because the Bridge runs outside the regular Part D benefit, your $50 payments are walled off from the rest of your drug coverage:

They do not count toward your Part D deductible.
They do not count toward your yearly out-of-pocket limit. Paying $600 a year through the Bridge does nothing to move you toward your Part D catastrophic threshold.
They will not appear on your Part D Explanation of Benefits (EOB) or on any Medicare Summary Notice (MSN). Do not be alarmed when they are missing.

Extra Help does not lower it

If you qualify for Extra Help (the Low-Income Subsidy), it reduces your Part D costs but it does not reduce the $50 GLP-1 Bridge copay. Everyone pays the same $50.

The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan does not apply

The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread out-of-pocket drug costs across the calendar year in monthly installments. GLP-1 Bridge drugs are not eligible for it, so the $50 is due at the pharmacy each time you fill.

How $50 compares to paying cash

Here is what the manufacturers charge people who pay cash for the same drugs, taken from their own published pricing. These are self-pay prices, meaning what you pay without running it through insurance.

Drug	Manufacturer self-pay price	Your cost on GLP-1 Bridge
Foundayo (tablet)	From $149/mo for the lowest dose	$50/mo
Wegovy pill	$149/mo (1.5 mg and 4 mg); $299/mo (9 mg and 25 mg)	$50/mo
Wegovy pen	$349/mo at all standard doses ($199/mo for the first 2 months for new patients)	$50/mo
Wegovy HD pen (7.2 mg)	$399/mo	$50/mo
Zepbound KwikPen	From $299/mo for the 2.5 mg dose; higher doses cost more	$50/mo

Manufacturer self-pay prices as published by Novo Nordisk (April 2026) and Eli Lilly (March and April 2026). Prices change and promotional pricing expires. Note that the Wegovy pill 4 mg price of $149 is a limited-time offer through August 31, 2026, after which it is $199. Confirm current pricing directly with the manufacturer before relying on these numbers.

So the Bridge saves roughly $100 to $350 a month versus paying cash, depending on which drug and dose you are on. Over a year that is about $1,200 to $4,200.

One important caveat about manufacturer savings cards

You may see advertised prices as low as $25 a month. Those are commercial insurance copay offers, and they explicitly exclude government beneficiaries, which includes anyone on Medicare. If you have Medicare, you cannot use those $25 copay cards. The self-pay cash prices in the table above are the relevant comparison for you.

Also worth comparing

If your Part D plan would cover a GLP-1 for a qualifying medical condition, that route may cost less than $50 and, importantly, those costs do count toward your deductible and out-of-pocket limit. Bridge payments do not.

Budget note

At $50 a month, a full year in the program is $600 out of pocket, entirely separate from whatever you spend on your Part D plan premium and your other prescriptions.

Questions?

Call or text our Medicare team at (312) 726-6565, or call Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048.

Compare Medicare plans and get a quote

Sources

This article is general information, not medical or coverage advice. Talk with your doctor about whether a GLP-1 drug is right for you, and confirm your own eligibility with Medicare.

Articles in this section