Does the quoted price assume insurance or a savings program?

The approval is written around a BMI threshold, or a lower threshold with a weight-related condition such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, or high cholesterol. A clinician is checking whether you meet it, and that check is what a coverage request will rest on.

Getting a prescription

How to get Wegovy

Wegovy is the semaglutide product approved specifically for chronic weight management, which makes it the one most likely to be considered by an insurer and the one whose eligibility criteria are most specific.

Its approval is written around BMI thresholds and weight-related conditions, so the evaluation is doing real work: it establishes whether you meet the criteria the label describes, not just whether a clinician is willing to prescribe.

230
GLP-1 clinics: 31
States: 154
Telehealth: 80
License verified

What to know first

Wegovy is FDA-approved for chronic weight management, and separately for cardiovascular risk reduction in eligible adults.
Because the approval matches the diagnosis, this is the semaglutide product a plan is most likely to consider covering.
230 clinics we checked name Wegovy, and 154 of them offer telehealth visits.
Eligibility is written around BMI thresholds and weight-related conditions, so the evaluation decides more here than with an off-label route.

How to get Wegovy prescribed

Wegovy has the tightest eligibility criteria of the products on this site, because its approval is specific. That makes the first two steps matter more than they do elsewhere.

1. Eligibility against the label
The approval is written around a BMI threshold, or a lower threshold with a weight-related condition such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, or high cholesterol. A clinician is checking whether you meet it, and that check is what a coverage request will rest on.
2. Screening and history
Contraindications include a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN 2. Cardiovascular history is worth raising, since Wegovy carries a separate indication there that can change the case for coverage.
3. The coverage request
Where a plan covers weight care, this is the product it usually names. Ask whether the clinic submits prior authorization on your behalf, because that step is where most weight-care claims are won or abandoned.
4. Titration
Dose escalates over roughly four to five months to a maintenance dose. Ask what the schedule is, how often you are seen, and what happens to the cost at each step.

Wegovy against the alternatives

The decision is usually Wegovy versus a cheaper compounded route, or Wegovy versus tirzepatide. They fail differently.

Wegovy

Approved for chronic weight management and for cardiovascular risk reduction in eligible adults. The most straightforward product to put in front of an insurer for weight care.

Ozempic

Same molecule, diabetes indication, different dosing. Prescribed off-label for weight and commonly refused by plans for that use. Not a substitute in coverage terms.

Compounded semaglutide

Not an FDA-approved generic and not reviewed as a finished product. Cheaper, and outside the approval that makes a coverage request possible at all.

For how it works, its side effects, and how it compares with the alternatives, see the semaglutide medication guide.

If a video visit suits you better than an office, the online programs prescribing it are compared on starting price at online Wegovy providers.

What does Wegovy cost?

Wegovy is the product where coverage most often materialises, which makes the cash price and the covered price very different conversations. Only 102 of the 230 listings here publish a figure.

Whether prior authorization is attempted

The largest practical factor. A clinic that submits and follows up on prior authorization changes the cost more than any discount program does.

Manufacturer savings programs

Eligibility for these depends on insurance status and changes periodically. Ask whether the quoted price already assumes one.

Dose at maintenance

Pricing is per-pen and the maintenance dose is several steps above the start. An introductory figure describes month one only.

program fee versus medication

Establish which the quoted number covers. A clinic billing a monthly membership plus pharmacy cost is quoting a different thing from an all-in program.

Where to get wegovy near you

230 clinics we checked prescribe wegovy, spread across 31 states.

Search clinics by city, ZIP, or name

Six questions worth asking before paying

Do I meet the BMI criteria the approval is written around, and is that documented?
Does the clinic submit prior authorization, and does it follow up if the first request is refused?
Does the quoted price assume insurance or a savings program?
What does the maintenance dose cost if coverage is refused?
Are labs required before starting, and is that included?
What happens if Wegovy is unavailable at my dose that month?

Sources: FDA Wegovy prescribing information · NIDDK, Prescription Medications to Treat Overweight & Obesity. Eligibility and prescribing decisions belong to a qualified healthcare professional. This page is informational and is not medical advice.