CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – Before leaving office, President Joe Biden is proposing a last-minute item with bipartisan support that could be of great benefit to our region.
That doesn’t happen often, but at least today, Republican governor and senator-elect Jim Justice and Democratic President Joe Biden are finding common ground.
Before he retires, President Biden is calling for Medicare and Medicaid to cover weight loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and others. The initial cost is $35 billion.
The drugs were developed to combat diabetes, but have now been found to facilitate with significant weight loss. The FDA has also approved it for this purpose.
Governor Justice sees an advantage for West Virginia because the state has one of the highest rates of diabetes, obesity and poverty in the nation.
“From what I know about these drugs, they are useful in many ways. And the overall result at the end of the rainbow? It will save us money,” said Gov. Jim Justice (R), West Virginia and U.S. Senator-Elect.
However, Senator-elect Justice said the proposal should wait until President-elect Trump and the up-to-date Congress are in office.
He said the cost of the plan needed to be studied and that the government should be able to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies to reduce the cost of often very costly drugs.
And Governor Justice gave personal testimony today, saying he had been taking one of the weight-loss medications for months and had lost 30 to 40 pounds.
