Biden to Give Big Pharma $35 Billion

In one of its final acts, the Biden administration has thrown a political grenade into the laps of President-elect Donald Trump and his incoming team, igniting a high-stakes battle over weight-loss drugs and federal healthcare spending. Early Tuesday, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed a sweeping rule that would expand federal insurance to cover costly obesity medications like Ozempic and Wegovy.

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra hailed the proposal as a win for public health. “It’s a good day for anyone who suffers from obesity,” Becerra told the Associated Press, calling the government subsidies a “game changer” for millions of Americans who can’t afford the drugs. But the price tag tells a different story: taxpayers could be on the hook for up to $35 billion over the next decade, a cost that doesn’t even scratch the surface of what these drugs might do to the nation’s health—or its waistline.

Under the rule, only those with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher would qualify for coverage, targeting more than 40% of U.S. adults who are categorized as obese. But here’s the kicker: these aren’t miracle drugs. They come with a laundry list of side effects ranging from nausea and diarrhea to “Ozempic Face,” a bizarre condition leaving users with drooping skin and malnutrition. And yet, the pharmaceutical industry is cashing in on America’s health crisis, pushing these drugs like candy while the rest of us foot the bill.

RFK Jr. Draws a Line in the Sand
Enter Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Trump-nominated HHS Secretary-in-waiting, who now faces the unenviable task of approving—or scrapping—this bloated proposal. Kennedy, never one to mince words, has already made his position clear.

“If we just gave good food, three meals a day, to every man, woman, and child in our country, we could solve the obesity and diabetes epidemic overnight,” Kennedy said on Fox News before Election Day. He accused Novo Nordisk, the Danish pharmaceutical giant behind Ozempic, of exploiting Americans’ dependence on drugs, calling the nation “so stupid and so addicted.”