n this photo illustration, boxes of the diabetes drug Ozempic rest on a pharmacy counter. Ozempic was originally approved to treat people with Type 2 diabetes, but demand has surged because of the drug’s weight-loss benefits. Thirteen states cover GLP-1 drugs through their Medicaid programs, and others are considering following suit. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Over her three-decade career, weight management physician Dr. Sarah Ro has seen hundreds of patients. Many of them are on Medicaid and have become yo-yo dieters who, despite their best efforts at changing their eating habits and lifestyles, cannot seem to shed the pounds hurting their health.
“They have a tremendous amount of disease burden,” said Ro, medical director of the University of North Carolina Physicians Network weight management program, which serves patients from marginalized communities at clinics across the state. “All the complications that you could think of.”…