The cost of care
A headline price is only part of the bill
Ask “What will I pay for the full plan?” before comparing the figures on offer pages. Put the same items beside each other.
First ask what kind of price it is
GLP-1 medicines act like a hormone that helps control hunger and blood sugar.
For the brand-name GLP-1 medicines, September 2026 prices differed depending on how you paid: the maker’s list price, its self-pay offer, a discount card, an insurance copay card or a government program.
The list price is the maker’s published wholesale price before discounts; it need not be the amount on your pharmacy bill.
Self-pay means paying without using insurance. A discount card offers a reduced price. Once a plan or program pays its share, the amount you still owe is your copay; using a copay card may reduce that payment further.
- Care
- Visit and follow-up
- Medicine
- Named product and package
- Other items
- Tests, delivery and recurring fees
Ask which items the quote includes.
A useful cash-price scale
The September 2026 self-pay offers from drug makers mostly charged about $149–$499 a month, depending on the drug and strength. Some strengths cost more when a refill was late.
Some Lilly offers measured a refill deadline from the previous delivery: once more than 45 days had passed, the lower refill price no longer applied.
Ask which date counts for your offer and what the next refill will cost if you miss it.
A month did not mean the same supply in every offer: Lilly used 28 days. NovoCare priced its supply by the box or bottle: four pens in a Wegovy box, one pen in an Ozempic box, or thirty tablets in a Wegovy bottle. Those amounts priced the medicine, rather than the whole care plan.
At the September 2026 check, December 31, 2026 was the end date written into many maker offers and savings cards.
Ask the maker about its self-pay offer by name and request the terms for someone enrolled in Medicare.
Ask for a written total
- Medicine: which product and package does the quote cover?
- Care: is the visit included, or is there a recurring fee?
- Tests: what might be requested, and who bills for them?
- Delivery: is there a separate charge?
- Renewal: what is the price after any introductory offer?
- Leaving: how do cancellation and refunds work?
Compare matching time periods and matching items. Ask for the total again if the proposed medicine or follow-up plan changes.