Work through the question
Keep the answers with your notes.
Ask whether regular Part D is the route.
As of September 26, 2026, regular Part D excludes medicine used for weight loss, while another medically accepted use may allow coverage.
Ask both your prescriber and your plan to identify the health condition that the medicine would address. The plan’s rules still decide whether it pays.
Ask about the temporary Bridge program.
Eligible Part D members can obtain certain medicines through the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge for $50 per monthly supply, as of September 26, 2026.
GLP-1 is a hormone: it carries messages within the body and affects blood sugar and appetite; these drugs act like that messenger.
The program began July 1, 2026 and is scheduled to end December 31, 2027.
It operates outside regular Part D payments; it is not a change to the weight-loss exclusion.
Check whether you qualify.
As of September 26, 2026, the Bridge has rules about age, weight, health conditions and the kind of Medicare plan you have.
You are excluded from the Bridge in 2026 if you received Part D payment for a GLP-1 medicine earlier in 2026.
For people who have type 2 diabetes, regular Part D is the route instead of the Bridge; a prescription and prior authorization are required.
Prior authorization means the program must approve the request before paying. Have your prescriber review all the health and plan rules, including medicine payments already made through Part D.
Ask which product and form qualify.
Bridge products as of September 26, 2026 include orforglipron (Foundayo), injections and tablets of semaglutide (Wegovy), and the KwikPen form of tirzepatide (Zepbound).
The Bridge does not cover Zepbound in pens meant for one injection. It also excludes small medicine bottles meant for one injection, called single-dose vials.
Ask the pharmacist to confirm that the Zepbound product says “KwikPen”. A different pen or a small bottle does not meet this product rule.
Count the payment correctly.
Part D’s annual cap on your own payments for covered medicines does not include the $50 Bridge charge, as of September 26, 2026.
Access to the Bridge does not depend on first paying your Part D deductible.
The Bridge rules do not allow this charge to be reduced by an extra coupon or by Medicare’s assistance for people on low incomes.
The yearly limit caps your own counted payments under regular Part D, not what Medicare pays. Paying the Bridge charge leaves you no nearer to that limit. A plan’s rules require an initial amount, called a deductible, to be paid by you before the plan starts to pay.
Open the sources for this checklist
Use the record that matches the question you are checking.