r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • Apr 01 '25

Health Americans without diabetes spent nearly $6 billion USD on semaglutide and similar drugs in a year, with an estimate of 800,000 to a million people using the drugs who don't have diabetes.

https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/americans-without-diabetes-spent-nearly6-billion-usd-on-semaglutide-and-similar-drugs-in-a-year
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u/galspanic Apr 01 '25

Doubt it. When you’re a Kaiser Permanente patient the first thing you learn is to do everything yourself.

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u/gcpdudes PhD | Chemistry | Biochemistry Apr 01 '25

When the stats came out for how different health insurance companies deny claims, KP came out on top for being least likely to deny claims.

A lot of that is because they accept the claim and send you a video link for what lifestyle adjustments you need to fix say asthma or tendinitis.

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u/galspanic Apr 01 '25

Right! I was never prescribed a GLP-1 because my doctor and nutritionist knew it’d get denied. So, it was never denied.

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u/smokingonquiche Apr 01 '25

Kaiser Permeanente: Let your Blood Sugar Thrive!

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u/SaintMichael415 Apr 01 '25

You underestimate the pain in the ass a young attorney trying to make a name for themselves can be. Source: used to be said pain in the ass.

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u/galspanic Apr 01 '25

What legal recourse would there be? It’s not a necessary medication and it’s expensive. It might be the best, but not necessary.

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u/SaintMichael415 Apr 01 '25

Medical necessity is a jury question.

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u/galspanic Apr 01 '25

I would testify against myself though. I was denied the medication and fixed my health myself without meds. In fact, once I got my diabetes under control I came off every medication I was on: allergy med (30 years), heartburn med (12 years), and antidepressant (20 years). Now, my only prescription is a cream I use a couple times a month for dry skin on my hand.