How Much Does Wegovy Cost With and Without Insurance?

Wegovy® is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help those with overweight and obesity lose weight. But it’s often not covered by insurance, and the drug can come with an eye-watering price tag.

Wegovy costs vary. But the medication can be around $1,300 to $2,000 per month, depending on the pharmacy you buy it from and whether you’re eligible for any discounts or insurance coverage.

Luckily, there are more affordable alternatives if those numbers make you wince. Read on for details.

Your Wegovy cost without insurance will vary depending on where you purchase it from.

Novo Nordisk — the manufacturer of Wegovy — lists the Wegovy price as $1,349.02 for a 28-day supply.

When looking at pharmacy and telehealth companies, Wegovy costs about $1,300 to $2,000 a month without insurance. That means Wegovy can cost $16,000 or more a year.

Keep in mind that all this is just the cost of the drug itself. This doesn’t take into account the cost of any medical appointments or consultations.

Wegovy is a prescription medication, so you’ll have to factor the costs of speaking to a healthcare provider into your final bill.

Wegovy isn’t usually covered by insurance — that goes for both private insurance companies and Medicare.

Some providers consider weight loss a cosmetic matter — despite the many health benefits — and, therefore, don’t cover weight loss drugs. Others are waiting for more research on Wegovy to come out before potentially offering coverage.

Some insurance providers may foot the bill, but you might have to meet certain criteria to qualify. 

To find out if you’re eligible, take a look at your insurance policy to see if weight loss drugs like Wegovy are covered. Check if there are any requirements you need to meet and speak with your healthcare provider to see if you’d be a good fit. 

If your insurance company denies your request to cover Wegovy, you can appeal the decision. There are also other more affordable weight loss medications to consider — more on those soon.

Medicaid doesn’t usually cover Wegovy, but it varies from state to state. 

In some states, with prior authorization, you may be able to get Wegovy for $0 or for a low cost like $3 or less. Check the Wegovy website or your state’s Medicaid website. 

We’ve covered whether other weight loss drugs are covered by insurance. Spoiler: They’re usually not.

Just found out your insurance covers Wegovy? Woo-hoo! But before you celebrate too soon, this doesn’t always mean the cost of Wegovy will be $0. You might have to pay a copay or meet your deductible first.

The final cost of Wegovy with insurance will depend on your health insurance plan and provider.

If your health policy doesn’t cover a specific medication, you can sometimes get savings cards and rebates through your pharmacy or the drugmaker.

If you need to pay out of pocket, it’s worth checking out savings programs. Novo Nordisk offers a savings program that lowers the costs of Wegovy for some customers.

Here’s the current offer:

• If you pay cash or your commercial insurance plan doesn’t cover Wegovy, you could pay $650 for a 28-day supply of Wegovy.

• If your insurance plan does cover Wegovy, you could save up to $225 per 28-day supply. This could reduce the cost of Wegovy to as little as $0.

Bear in mind this savings program could change or end, so your Wegovy costs could increase in the future.

There’s no way around it — Wegovy is an expensive drug, especially if you end up taking it for a long time. There are more affordable Wegovy alternatives to consider, though.

Ozempic

Ozempic® has the same active ingredient as Wegovy — semaglutide — but it’s FDA-approved to help people with type 2 diabetes manage blood sugar levels. 

Ozempic is sometimes used off-label for weight loss, which is when healthcare providers prescribe a drug for something it isn’t FDA-approved for.

It’s also a pricey medication not usually covered by insurance. But after crunching the numbers, Ozempic may work out cheaper than Wegovy.

Prices vary, but Ozempic costs around $900 to $1,800 a month, depending on the pharmacy you buy it from. The list price is $968.52 per month.

Mounjaro and Zepbound 

Mounjaro® and Zepbound® are two brand names for the drug tirzepatide, another type of weight loss injection. They’re both made by the pharmaceutical manufacturer Eli Lilly.

Mounjaro is prescribed off-label for weight loss and costs about $1,000 to $1,100 a month. The list price is $1,069.08

Zepbound is FDA-approved for weight loss and costs roughly $1,000 to $1,100 a month. The list price is $1059.87.

Compounded Semaglutide

Compounded semaglutide has the same active ingredient as Ozempic and Wegovy, but it’s not an FDA-approved medication.

Compounded prescription drugs are legal. They’re most often cheaper and more readily available than the FDA-approved versions.

If you’re considering compounded semaglutide, make sure you’re getting it with a valid prescription from a licensed healthcare provider — and from a licensed U.S. facility.

Compounded semaglutide available through Hers is made in FDA-regulated facilities in the U.S. with ingredients sourced from FDA-regulated manufacturers. Plus, each batch of medications is quality-tested.

You can get compounded GLP-1s like semaglutide from Hers starting from $199 a month.

Other Weight Loss Medications 

Weight loss injections aren’t your only option when it comes to weight loss treatments.

Oral weight loss medications include:

• Metformin

• Bupropion

• Topiramate

• Naltrexone

• Rybelsus® 

Hers has comprehensive weight loss programs that include nutrition plans, expert guidance, and weight loss medications starting at $79 a month.

Wegovy can be a godsend of a medication for people with overweight, obesity, and weight-related health conditions. But it’s not so much of a blessing to your bank account.

Here’s what you need to know about Wegovy weight loss prices:

• Wegovy costs vary — and they’re not pretty. Without insurance, your Wegovy cost per month could be $1,300 to $2,000, which works out to around $16,000 or more a year. Ouch.

• Wegovy is rarely covered by insurance. Check with your insurance plan and provider to see if you’re one of the lucky ones. There may be eligibility criteria to meet, and copays and deductibles mean your Wegovy prescription cost isn’t always zero, even if your insurance plan covers it.

• Wegovy alternatives can be more affordable. Ozempic, Mounjaro, and Zepbound may work out a little cheaper than Wegovy. But for a much more affordable weight loss treatment, Hers offers compounded semaglutide starting at $199 a month.

Whichever option you’re considering, your first step is talking to a healthcare provider to find out if weight loss medications are suitable for you.

Start by taking our free online assessment to learn more about your options.