Nearly Four Million Medicare Beneficiaries Met the Eligibility Criteria in 2023 for the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge - Summary - MDSpire

Nearly Four Million Medicare Beneficiaries Met the Eligibility Criteria in 2023 for the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge

  • By

  • Juliette Cubanski

  • Nolan Sroczynski

  • June 29, 2026

  • 0 min

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Objective:

To estimate the number of Medicare beneficiaries eligible for the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program covering GLP-1s for obesity.

Approach:
  • Eligibility Criteria Analysis: The analysis used 2023 Medicare claims and encounter data to estimate the number of beneficiaries with obesity or overweight and those meeting the Bridge eligibility criteria.
Key Findings:
  • An estimated 13.3 million Medicare beneficiaries had obesity or overweight in 2023, based on claims data.
  • Approximately 3.8 million Medicare Part D enrollees met the eligibility criteria for the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge in 2023.
  • The eligible population represents 8% of Medicare Part D enrollees and 7% of the total Medicare population in 2023.
Interpretation:

Limitations:
  • The estimate of 3.8 million eligible beneficiaries may be conservative as not all beneficiaries with obesity or overweight may have a claims-based diagnosis.
  • The actual number of eligible beneficiaries may change by 2026 due to shifts in diagnoses or GLP-1 use.
Conclusion:

Original Source(s)

Nearly Four Million Medicare Beneficiaries Met the Eligibility Criteria in 2023 for the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge

  • by Juliette Cubanski, Nolan Sroczynski

  • June 29, 2026

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