06/03/2026
Without consultation to Dietitians Australia and the wider Australian community, we learn that taxpayers will soon be paying the gap for anyone prescribed Wegovy - a weight loss drug - when it's added to the PBS Scheme.
Currently nearly 500,000 Australians — almost 2% of the adult population — are using GLP-1, or Ozempic-like medications, for weight loss or medical reasons. Ozempic is already on the PBS but only for the 1.2 million Australian adults with Type 2 Diabetes.
The Health Minister Mark Butler says its an "equity issue" but some Doctors and Dietitians are worried this doesn't address lowering obesity rates in the 1st place, and may lead to a rise of eating disorders, muscle loss and malnutrition in these people. I'm also worried that making Wegovy cheaper is an easy-way-out for people who give-up on healthy eating and a long-term healthy lifestyle.
My questions to everyone are ...
1. Do you want your taxpayer money going to fund other people's weight loss drugs?
2. Do you worry that there will be "over use" and "abuse of the system"?
3. Would you rather see funds (your taxpayer dollars) go to greater subsidy for obesity prevention measures instead?
It's going to cost taxpayers a lot of money — but the federal government says subsidising weight loss drug Wegovy is an equity issue, not just a health issue.