I’ve been overweight—obese, by American medical standards—most of my life. And now, in my 40s, losing weight has felt damn near impossible. Between hormones waging war on my metabolism, exhaustion that comes with simply existing, and my lifelong habit of using food as a coping mechanism, I didn’t see an end to this cycle. My A1C hit 6.4—I was one doctor’s visit away from a type 2 diabetes diagnosis.
I tried everything. I went through Kaiser Permanente’s Medical Weight Management Program, testing every pill they threw my way, hoping something would stick. Nothing did. It wasn’t until I was prescribed Ozempic that things finally turned around. For the first time, I felt like I had a fighting chance—not just to lose weight, but to break free from the cycle that had held me hostage for so long.
And now, all of my progress is at risk because the system has decided I am worth more overweight and sick than I am healthy.
No Ozempic For You!
Ozempic and other GLP-1 medications are quickly becoming a luxury item—available only to those who can afford to pay out of pocket while the rest of us are left to fend for ourselves. With insurance companies pulling back coverage, these life-changing drugs are being pushed into the realm of privilege, where access depends on wealth, not medical necessity.
This isn’t about what’s best for public health—it’s about profit. If you can’t afford to shell out hundreds (or even thousands) a month, tough luck. The system is making it clear: staying healthy is a privilege, not a right.
The Health Care Industry’s Fat Profit Model
Let’s be clear—being fat isn’t just a personal struggle, it’s an economy. There’s an entire industry profiting off obesity-related conditions, from big pharma to insurance companies to diet culture. And none of them actually want people to get healthier, because a healthy person doesn’t need daily medications, emergency interventions, or expensive procedures.
What happens if more people lose weight and keep it off? The market for blood pressure meds shrinks. The demand for insulin drops. Cardiologists and endocrinologists lose repeat customers. That’s bad for business.
And it’s not just the health care industry cashing in. The food industry—especially fast food—relies on people being addicted to ultra-processed, high-calorie, low-nutrition meals that keep them in a perpetual cycle of weight gain and metabolic dysfunction. Big Food and Big Pharma are in bed together, one feeding the problem while the other profits off the consequences.
Think about it: We’re bombarded with cheap, addictive food options scientifically engineered to keep us craving more. Then, when those same foods contribute to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, we’re handed a lifetime prescription instead of a solution. The system is designed for us to fail, to stay sick, to stay profitable.
The “Not Medically Necessary” Lie
The most insulting part? They’re gaslighting us.
Insurers are pulling coverage by claiming that Ozempic and other GLP-1 medications are “not medically necessary” for weight loss. Meanwhile, every study shows that obesity increases the risk for heart disease, stroke, and diabetes—the same conditions they have no problem covering meds for when the damage is already done.
So let me get this straight: It’s “medically necessary” to cover drugs for high blood pressure, insulin for diabetes, and bariatric surgery after years of failed weight loss attempts—but it’s not necessary to cover a medication that could prevent all of that in the first place?
Make it make sense.
Spoiler alert: It makes sense if your goal is to keep people on medication forever rather than giving them an actual solution.
The Real Cost of Denial
The truth is, Ozempic and other GLP-1s are expensive—but so is chronic disease. Instead of investing in long-term health, insurance companies would rather force people into a cycle of weight gain, metabolic dysfunction, and eventual medical crises that they can then profit off of.
This isn’t just about weight loss—it’s about control. It’s about who gets access to life-changing medications and who gets left behind. It’s about a system that rewards disease management over disease prevention. It’s about the cold, calculated reality that health care in America isn’t about health—it’s about money.
Meanwhile, the fast food industry keeps pumping out dollar-menu poison, the weight loss industry keeps peddling ineffective quick fixes, and Big Pharma sits back collecting checks from all the people trapped in the middle.
What Now?
We can be mad (and trust me, I am), but we also have to be loud. Employers need to demand coverage of these medications in their health plans. Patients need to pressure their doctors and insurers. But this fight isn’t just with the insurance companies—it’s also with the lawmakers who have the power to regulate them.
Your governor, state legislators, and members of Congress need to hear from you. They need to know that denying access to these medications isn’t just a policy decision—it’s a public health crisis. Some states have already moved to require Medicaid and state employee health plans to cover GLP-1s for obesity treatment, but we need that fight at the federal level too. If they can pass laws mandating coverage for other chronic conditions, they can do it for this.
Call them. Email them. Show up at their town halls. Demand that they take action to ensure access to GLP-1s and other effective anti-obesity treatments.
Because as long as the system can keep us sick, they can keep making money off of us. And the only way that changes is if we force them to.
