Does HUSKY Health Cover Wegovy & Zepbound in 2026? (What Changed)

Direct answer – HUSKY Health and GLP-1s in 2026

No – as of June 2026, HUSKY Health (Connecticut Medicaid) no longer covers Wegovy, Zepbound, or Saxenda for weight loss alone; Connecticut ended GLP-1 weight-loss coverage after July 31, 2025, and instead covers the oral weight-loss medications orlistat and phentermine for members who meet BMI criteria. GLP-1 drugs remain covered by HUSKY Health for members with a qualifying type 2 diabetes diagnosis (Ozempic, Mounjaro, and similar agents), and Zepbound is covered for obstructive sleep apnea with prior authorization under a separate June 2025 provider bulletin.

This matters because much of what is published online about HUSKY Health and Wegovy is now wrong. Connecticut briefly had one of the most generous Medicaid weight-loss drug policies in the country, then reversed it: the Department of Social Services (DSS) announced in Provider Bulletin 2025-31 (June 2025) that HUSKY would stop paying GLP-1 claims for indications other than type 2 diabetes after July 31, 2025. If an article tells you HUSKY covers Wegovy for weight loss and does not mention that July 31, 2025 cutoff, it is out of date.

Important – verify your specific plan

Medicaid drug policy changes frequently, and Connecticut has already changed course once. Everything on this page reflects DSS bulletins and notices as of June 2026. Before you fill, switch, or stop any prescription, confirm current coverage directly: call the member services number on the back of your HUSKY Health card, ask your pharmacist to run a test claim, or have your prescriber check the current DSS preferred drug list and prior authorization criteria.

The pharmacy benefit works the same way across HUSKY A (children and parents or caregivers), HUSKY B (the Children’s Health Insurance Program), HUSKY C (aged, blind, or disabled members), and HUSKY D (low-income adults) for the policies discussed here. The state’s 2025 obesity-medication notice (SPA 25-0014) explicitly applies the new orlistat and phentermine coverage to HUSKY A, B, C, and D.

HUSKY Health GLP-1 coverage at a glance

Here is the before-and-after picture, because the timeline is the whole story. “Before” means claims with dates of service through July 31, 2025; “now” means policy in effect as of June 2026.

Drug	FDA-approved use	HUSKY before Aug 1, 2025	HUSKY now (June 2026)
Ozempic (semaglutide)	Type 2 diabetes	Covered for diabetes	Covered with a qualifying type 2 diabetes diagnosis
Wegovy (semaglutide)	Chronic weight management	Covered for weight loss (BMI 35+ under the 2023 law)	Not covered for weight loss
Zepbound (tirzepatide)	Chronic weight management; obstructive sleep apnea	Covered for weight loss (BMI 35+ under the 2023 law)	Not covered for weight loss; covered for OSA with prior authorization per the June 2025 bulletin
Mounjaro (tirzepatide)	Type 2 diabetes	Covered for diabetes	Covered with a qualifying type 2 diabetes diagnosis
Saxenda (liraglutide)	Chronic weight management	Covered for weight loss (BMI 35+ under the 2023 law)	Not covered for weight loss
Orlistat / Xenical	Obesity	Not a covered weight-loss benefit	Covered since July 1, 2025 for BMI over 40, or over 35 with comorbid conditions
Phentermine	Short-term weight management	Not a covered weight-loss benefit	Covered since July 1, 2025 for BMI over 40, or over 35 with comorbid conditions

For how Connecticut compares with other states, see our state-by-state Medicaid GLP-1 coverage guide.

What changed in 2025 – and why

In 2023, the Connecticut legislature required HUSKY to cover FDA-approved weight-loss drugs for members with a BMI of 35 or higher. Enrollment in GLP-1 therapy grew far faster than budgeted: according to CT Mirror reporting (March 2025), the benefit cost roughly 85 million dollars in fiscal year 2024, about 35 percent of the state’s Medicaid pharmacy budget. Governor Lamont’s budget proposal sought to repeal weight-loss-only GLP-1 coverage, projecting about 45.6 million dollars in savings over two years while keeping diabetes coverage intact.

The unwinding happened in three documented steps:

December 2024: DSS Provider Bulletin 2024-66 established a diagnosis requirement for GLP-1 claims, so pharmacy claims had to carry a qualifying diagnosis code.
June 2025: DSS Provider Bulletin 2025-31 announced that HUSKY would stop paying GLP-1 claims for indications other than type 2 diabetes after July 31, 2025.
July 1, 2025: Under State Plan Amendment 25-0014, DSS began covering the lower-cost oral medications orlistat and phentermine for weight loss instead, with a projected cost of about 4.16 million dollars in state fiscal year 2026.

In short, Connecticut traded an 85-million-dollar-a-year GLP-1 weight-loss benefit for a roughly 4-million-dollar oral-medication benefit, while preserving GLP-1 access for diabetes.

Ozempic on HUSKY Health (2026)

HUSKY Health covers Ozempic in 2026 for members with a qualifying type 2 diabetes diagnosis. Ozempic is FDA-approved for type 2 diabetes, not for weight loss, so it sits on the surviving side of the July 31, 2025 cutoff. Since Bulletin 2024-66 (December 2024), claims must carry a qualifying diagnosis, which means an off-label Ozempic prescription written for weight loss alone will not be paid.

What you typically need on file

A documented type 2 diabetes diagnosis from your prescriber.
The qualifying diagnosis attached to the claim, per the December 2024 diagnosis requirement.
Any current prior authorization DSS requires; your pharmacist or prescriber can confirm the live criteria.

Wegovy on HUSKY Health (2026)

As of June 2026, HUSKY Health does not cover Wegovy. Wegovy is FDA-approved for chronic weight management, not for type 2 diabetes, so it falls squarely under Bulletin 2025-31’s rule ending payment for non-diabetes GLP-1 claims after July 31, 2025. Members who had Wegovy covered under the 2023 expansion lost that coverage at the cutoff. If cost is the obstacle, see our guide to getting a GLP-1 without insurance in 2026 and the alternatives section below.

Zepbound on HUSKY Health (2026)

For weight loss alone, HUSKY Health does not cover Zepbound as of June 2026 – the same July 31, 2025 cutoff applies. But Zepbound has a second FDA-approved indication that changes the picture for some members.

Zepbound for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)

Zepbound is FDA-approved to treat moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity, and that is a distinct indication from weight loss. HUSKY issued a June 2025 provider bulletin addressing Zepbound for OSA: it is covered for OSA with prior authorization per that bulletin. If you have diagnosed OSA, ask your prescriber to confirm the current criteria through the HUSKY Health provider updates page before assuming coverage, since PA requirements can be revised.

Mounjaro on HUSKY Health (2026)

HUSKY Health covers Mounjaro in 2026 for members with a qualifying type 2 diabetes diagnosis, the same way it covers Ozempic. Mounjaro is FDA-approved for type 2 diabetes only; its tirzepatide sibling Zepbound carries the weight-loss and OSA indications. A Mounjaro prescription is not a workaround for weight-loss coverage – without a qualifying diabetes diagnosis on the claim, HUSKY will not pay it.

What HUSKY covers for weight loss now: orlistat and phentermine

Effective July 1, 2025, under State Plan Amendment 25-0014, DSS covers two oral weight-loss medications through the HUSKY pharmacy benefit for HUSKY A, B, C, and D members:

Orlistat (including the brand Xenical), which works in the gut by blocking fat absorption.
Phentermine, an appetite suppressant FDA-approved for short-term weight management.

The eligibility criteria in the SPA 25-0014 notice are a BMI over 40, or a BMI over 35 with diagnosed comorbid conditions. DSS projected the new benefit would cost about 4.16 million dollars in state fiscal year 2026.

These are older, far less expensive medications than GLP-1s, and they work differently; clinical trial weight loss with orlistat or phentermine is generally more modest than with semaglutide or tirzepatide. Whether either is appropriate for you is a conversation for your prescriber, but if you qualify, the prescription itself is a covered HUSKY benefit as of June 2026.

What if you were taking a GLP-1 under the old policy?

There was no long grandfathering runway: HUSKY stopped paying GLP-1 claims for non-diabetes indications after July 31, 2025, including for members already established on Wegovy, Zepbound, or Saxenda under the 2023 expansion. If that describes you, the realistic paths as of June 2026 are:

Diabetes-indication review. If you have type 2 diabetes, or your prescriber believes testing is warranted, a qualifying diagnosis supports coverage of Ozempic or Mounjaro with the diagnosis on the claim. Never seek a diagnosis you do not have; this is a clinical decision.
The OSA route for Zepbound. If you have diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea, ask about Zepbound coverage with prior authorization under the June 2025 bulletin.
Appeals and fair hearings. Medicaid members have appeal rights when a claim or PA is denied. HUSKY member services can explain the current process; we do not publish appeal outcome statistics because reliable ones do not exist for this policy.
Covered oral alternatives. Orlistat or phentermine, if you meet the BMI criteria above.
Cash-pay telehealth, covered next.

GLP-1 alternatives for Connecticut residents in 2026

Since the July 31, 2025 cutoff, many HUSKY members who want to continue GLP-1 therapy for weight loss have pivoted to cash-pay telehealth. Be clear-eyed about what that means: compounded GLP-1s are not covered by HUSKY Health, and neither are cash-pay branded programs – you pay out of pocket.

Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide are not FDA-approved; the FDA does not review compounded copies for safety, effectiveness, or quality before they are sold.
HUSKY Health will not reimburse any portion of a compounded GLP-1 purchase.
Quality depends on the specific pharmacy; favor providers that disclose which pharmacy fills your prescription and exactly what is in each dose.
Talk to your prescriber before switching between branded and compounded products, especially around dosing.

Ro Body Program

Telehealth weight-loss program with branded GLP-1 access (when in stock) and a coaching layer. For a Connecticut member who lost Wegovy coverage at the July 2025 cutoff but wants to stay on an FDA-approved branded medication, this is the more conservative cash-pay route. See Ro Body Program

Remedy Meds

Compounded-GLP-1 focused telehealth with transparent pricing. Typically the lower-cost option, with the compounding trade-offs listed above. See Remedy Meds pricing

Trim Rx

Cash-pay compounded telehealth with flat published pricing – oral semaglutide from $179/month and tirzepatide at $349/month flat at every dose, as of June 2026. It is a young company (founded 2024) with mixed support reviews, so check our Trim Rx review for the complaint patterns and cancellation terms before subscribing.

For a side-by-side, see our GLP-1 provider comparison. For pricing, telehealth options, and local context across the state, see GLP-1 weight loss in Connecticut: telehealth and local guide.

Could coverage come back?

Possibly, and there are two concrete things to watch. First, HB 7192, signed in 2025, directs DSS to pursue partnerships for generic GLP-1 production, an effort state legislators have framed as a pilot to expand weight-loss drug coverage at a sustainable price. Second, the federal CMS BALANCE Model lets states opt in to discounted GLP-1 coverage for obesity in Medicaid, with a state participation deadline of July 31, 2026, per KFF’s BALANCE Model explainer. Connecticut had not announced participation as of June 2026. Either track could reopen GLP-1 weight-loss coverage for HUSKY members, so re-check this page and DSS bulletins before assuming the current policy is permanent.

Frequently asked questions

Does HUSKY Health cover Wegovy in 2026?

No. As of June 2026, HUSKY Health does not cover Wegovy for weight loss. Connecticut DSS stopped paying GLP-1 claims for indications other than type 2 diabetes after July 31, 2025 (Provider Bulletin 2025-31), and Wegovy is approved for weight management, not diabetes.

Did HUSKY stop covering weight-loss drugs?

It stopped covering GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, not all weight-loss drugs. After July 31, 2025, HUSKY no longer pays for Wegovy, Zepbound, or Saxenda for weight loss; effective July 1, 2025, it instead covers the oral medications orlistat and phentermine for members with a BMI over 40, or over 35 with diagnosed comorbid conditions.

Does HUSKY cover Zepbound for sleep apnea?

Yes, with conditions. Per a June 2025 HUSKY provider bulletin, Zepbound is covered for obstructive sleep apnea with prior authorization – a separate indication from weight loss. Confirm the current PA criteria with your prescriber or HUSKY member services before filling.

What weight-loss medication does HUSKY Health cover now?

As of June 2026, HUSKY Health covers orlistat (including Xenical) and phentermine through the pharmacy benefit for HUSKY A, B, C, and D members, under State Plan Amendment 25-0014 effective July 1, 2025. Eligibility requires a BMI over 40, or over 35 with diagnosed comorbid conditions.

Does HUSKY cover Ozempic for type 2 diabetes?

Yes. As of June 2026, HUSKY Health covers Ozempic (and Mounjaro) for members with a qualifying type 2 diabetes diagnosis. Since December 2024 (Bulletin 2024-66), the qualifying diagnosis must accompany the claim, so prescriptions written for weight loss alone are not paid.

What are my options if HUSKY won’t cover a GLP-1?

As of 2026: ask your prescriber whether a diabetes diagnosis or the Zepbound OSA pathway applies to you, use your Medicaid appeal rights if you believe a denial was wrong, consider the covered oral medications orlistat or phentermine if you meet the BMI criteria, or compare cash-pay telehealth programs such as Ro and Remedy Meds in our GLP-1 provider comparison.

Does HUSKY Health Cover GLP-1 Weight Loss Drugs in 2026?