Work out the cost
Which price am I looking at?
Ask who pays, which medicine the price covers, and how long the offer lasts. Check how the medicine is taken: by tablet, shot, or another method.
Why do prices for the same medicine differ?
The September 2026 price records distinguish a maker’s list price, cash offers, discount-card prices, insured copays, and government-programme charges.
The price published by the maker is called the list price. An insured person’s share of a charge is the copay. A cash offer is paid outside insurance.
Compare the same medicine, taken the same way, for the same length of time. Ask who can use the offer.
Is there a concrete cash-price guide?
In September 2026, the government’s medicine price site showed a $199 starting price for semaglutide (Ozempic) for eligible new cash-paying patients.
Only the first two months’ supplies at selected strengths qualified for the offer; the monthly price then rose to $349 or $499, based on strength.
The offer ran through December 31, 2026, and cash spending under its terms could not be counted toward an insurance deductible.
Your deductible is what you must pay before the plan starts making certain insurance payments. Ask for the price after the introductory offer.
How long can I rely on a quoted offer?
In the September 2026 records, December 31, 2026 marked the expiry of terms for many makers’ cash offers and savings cards.
What follows an offer cannot be known from its end date alone. Confirm the terms again before paying for more medicine.
Keep the medicine price separate from the service’s assessment and recurring fees.