Cost brief

Read past the headline price.

An offer catches your eye. Before treating it as a budget, ask what that payment covers and what the next payment will be.

A real price, with its limits

Semaglutide is the medicine ingredient in some products used for diabetes or weight loss (product records checked September 26, 2026).

This example is for semaglutide sold as Ozempic injections. It shows how a starting price can change. This example does not quote a price for your own care.

The government price page listed a starting price of $199 for a month’s supply of semaglutide (Ozempic) injections when checked on September 26, 2026.

That price was for the first two monthly supplies only, for new patients paying without insurance who met the offer’s rules.

Here, strength tells you how much medicine each shot contains.

The rules required patients to be at least 18, live in the US and use one of the lower strengths covered by the offer.

After the starting offer, the listed monthly price was $349 for the lower listed strengths or $499 for the highest listed strength.

The entry offer runs through December 31, 2026.

Cash-pay means you pay for the medicine without using insurance.

Under this offer’s rules, you cannot ask insurance to pay you back for the medicine.

You also cannot count that payment towards your insurance deductible.

Source: Government price listing and offer terms

A deductible is a set amount you pay first, before your plan shares covered costs.

The price record used for this example does not say how many shots are in a monthly supply. Ask for a quote naming the amount per shot, the number of shots supplied, whether you qualify for the offer, and your price after it ends.

Ask the service for the separate cost of visits and follow-up.

Get these costs onto one sheet

Part of care	Ask what the quote includes
Visit	Is this a single visit, a membership, or a prepaid term?
Medicine	Is it included? What product, supply and refill price is the quote for?
Tests	Are any needed? Who bills for the test and its review?
Delivery	Is shipping included? What happens if a package needs replacing?
Follow-up	Are questions and return visits included? How does cancellation work?

Ask the plan about your prescription

For insurance, ask the plan about your particular product and why the clinician is prescribing it. Ask whether prior authorization is needed—that means getting the plan’s agreement to pay first.

Medicare’s prescription drug coverage may pay for some medicines also used for weight loss when prescribed for another accepted medical use (coverage rules checked September 26, 2026).

One example is semaglutide (Ozempic) prescribed for type 2 diabetes, a form of high blood sugar.

Another is semaglutide (Wegovy) prescribed to lower heart attack or stroke risk in people who have heart disease and excess weight.

Coverage still depends on whether your plan lists the exact medicine and agrees to pay for your prescription.

Source: Medicare: how the reason for treatment affects coverage

Ask your plan: “Will you cover this exact medicine for the reason my doctor prescribed it?” Keep the answer next to the care quote. Ask what you would owe if coverage is refused.