NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Something really caught our attention earlier this month during the state of Tennessee's budget hearings. It's pretty normal to hear large numbers for big budget requests. What isn't normal is for TennCare, Tennessee's Medicaid program to request hundreds of millions of dollars for essentially just one classification of drugs.
Chances are, you've heard about it or heard the pharmaceutical jingle — Ozempic.
Ozempic is the most well-known name in a class of medications called GLP-1. It can be prescribed for type two diabetes, heart disease, stroke prevention and more recently to lose weight.
TennCare's Chief Financial Officer Zane Seals made it clear. The state really doesn't have a choice on whether or not they should fund it.
"We are federally required to cover these drugs for conditions such as diabetes and heart disease," said Seals.
It's not just the popularity that's spiking the price for the state. It's expensive. On average, it costs about $11,000 per person, per year.
"It can be quite expensive for a patient to even get a 30-day supply," said Dr. Benjamin Gross, associate professor and chair of the Lipscomb University's College of Pharmacy.
Gross said while the price can be staggering upfront, so can the impact.
"Many patients lose weight. We’ve seen a lot of patients put their diabetes in remission. We’ve seen a lot of people lose enough weight where they cut back on their blood pressure medicines and their cholesterol medicines," said Gross.
That could mean TennCare could save money in the long run. In other words, that big number may not be quite as big of a deal as it looks.
"It’s linked to so many things that just drive up healthcare costs. If we’re able to prevent a lot of those things from happening, that would save the state and federal a ton of money," said Gross.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at chris.davis@newschannel5.com.
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-Rebecca Schleicher
