Access to weight loss drugs will save taxpayer money: Dr. Oz

(NewsNation) — Medicare and Medicaid Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said Thursday that discounted weight-loss drugs will save American taxpayers money within two years, claiming the deal addresses obesity-related conditions that drive more than a quarter of total health care costs.

"We will actually, within two years from when that ink dried in the Oval Office today ... save the American taxpayer money — for the first time, maybe — on health care," Oz told NewsNation's "CUOMO."

The Trump administration reached agreements with Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly under its Most Favored Nation policy to sell GLP-1 products at reduced prices.

Injectable versions will cost $245 monthly for Medicare and Medicaid patients, while oral formulations will start at $149 per month.

Oz defended prioritizing obe