Does TRICARE cover GLP-1 medications?

TRICARE covers GLP-1s for weight loss, including Wegovy, Zepbound and Saxenda, only if you’re enrolled in TRICARE Prime, TRICARE Select or a premium-based plan such as TRICARE Young Adult or TRICARE Reserve Select, and only with prior authorization and a prescription from a network provider. TRICARE For Life beneficiaries lost that coverage on August 31, 2025, but GLP-1s for type 2 diabetes, such as Ozempic and Mounjaro, stay covered when prior authorization criteria are met.

TRICARE For Life members with Medicare Part D can turn to the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge, which charges eligible enrollees $50 a month through December 31, 2027.

TRICARE GLP-1 coverage by plan

Sources: TRICARE’s weight-loss drug page, updated October 1, 2026, and its pharmacy FAQ, updated August 6, 2026. TRICARE says it covers these drugs “for some beneficiaries when medically necessary,” so meeting the plan rules doesn’t guarantee approval.

What changed on August 31, 2025

The Defense Health Agency put new limits on weight-loss drug coverage effective August 31, 2025. Two things happened at once:

• TRICARE For Life beneficiaries, people with direct care only and certain other groups were excluded from weight-loss drug coverage. TRICARE’s FAQ says they pay 100% of the cost even with an approved prior authorization.
• For anyone outside the plans that kept coverage, an approved prior authorization for weight-loss drugs stopped being valid, and the DHA told them to see their provider to discuss other options.

Cost-shares didn’t change, and GLP-1s for diabetes “continue to be covered for all patients with a diagnosis of diabetes” when they’re medically necessary and meet prior authorization rules.

How to get a GLP-1 covered on Prime or Select

If you’re on a plan that still covers weight-loss drugs, TRICARE’s requirements are:

1. Be enrolled in TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Select, including the premium-based plans listed above.
2. Get the prescription from a network provider. Express Scripts, which TRICARE names as its contact for drug coverage questions, says that includes a provider at a military hospital or clinic, and the prescription must be filled at a TRICARE network pharmacy or through TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery (Express Scripts). Military pharmacies may stock these drugs, so call ahead.
3. Use the drug as medically necessary treatment.
4. Meet prior authorization requirements. Your provider finds the form in the TRICARE Formulary Search Tool. Saxenda also needs a medical necessity form.

The clinical criteria come from the Department of Defense’s Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee, which updates them. In August 2025 it clarified that “uncontrolled hypertension” on the Wegovy and Zepbound forms means not reaching your blood pressure goal on two or more blood pressure drugs, and it updated the criteria for new users. Ask your provider to check the current form before filing.

Does TRICARE cover Zepbound?

Yes, for weight management, on Prime, Select and premium-based plans with prior authorization. TRICARE For Life doesn’t cover it.

Zepbound is also FDA-approved for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity (FDA). The TRICARE pages we checked don’t say whether sleep apnea requests are reviewed apart from weight loss, so ask Express Scripts if that’s your diagnosis. Our Zepbound insurance guide covers how commercial plans and Medicare handle that use.

Does TRICARE cover Wegovy?

Yes, on the same terms: TRICARE lists Wegovy among the drugs it covers for weight management on Prime, Select and premium-based plans, with prior authorization and a network prescription. TRICARE’s pages name Wegovy without saying whether the daily pill is included, so check the Formulary Search Tool. Our Wegovy coverage guide compares other insurers.

Does TRICARE cover Ozempic?

Yes, for type 2 diabetes. TRICARE covers Ozempic, Mounjaro, Trulicity and Victoza for type 2 diabetes when you meet its clinical criteria and your provider fills out prior authorization and medical necessity forms (TRICARE FAQ). A few details:

• Trulicity has a lower copayment.
• Ozempic, Mounjaro and Victoza need medical necessity forms to get the formulary copayment and to be covered at a military pharmacy (DHA).
• TRICARE coverage depends on the condition the drug treats. Ozempic isn’t approved for weight loss, so using it for that is off-label and isn’t covered.

See our guide to Ozempic insurance coverage for how other plans handle it.

Other weight-loss drugs on TRICARE

Besides the GLP-1s, TRICARE covers Qsymia, phentermine and Contrave for weight loss on Prime, Select and premium-based plans with prior authorization (DHA). Phentermine, alone or in Qsymia, is a Schedule IV controlled substance (21 CFR 1308.14). The DEA’s temporary rule that lets clinicians prescribe controlled substances by telemedicine without an in-person visit runs through December 31, 2026 (Federal Register).

TRICARE For Life and the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge

TRICARE now points TRICARE For Life members to Medicare. The Medicare GLP-1 Bridge runs from July 1, 2026, to December 31, 2027, for eligible Part D enrollees:

• Cost: a $50 copay. It doesn’t count toward Part D’s out-of-pocket limit, and Extra Help doesn’t lower it.
• Drugs: the prior authorization form lists Foundayo, Wegovy injection, Wegovy tablets, Wegovy HD and the Zepbound KwikPen.
• Who files: your clinician. The form asks for your BMI range at the start of treatment and about prediabetes, past heart attack or stroke, peripheral artery disease, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, uncontrolled high blood pressure and kidney disease at stage 3a or higher.
• Other uses: requests for type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, MASH or heart-risk reduction go to your regular Part D plan instead.

The Bridge needs Part D. If you don’t have it, Medicare’s Open Enrollment runs October 15 to December 7, and coverage chosen then starts January 1. Weigh the plan’s premium against what you’d pay out of pocket. Our Medicare guide covers eligibility in detail.

If TRICARE won’t cover it

Manufacturer savings cards don’t help here. Lilly’s Zepbound card excludes anyone enrolled in a government program and names TRICARE (Lilly), and NovoCare excludes government beneficiaries from its Wegovy and Ozempic offers, listing TRICARE as an example (NovoCare).

Self-pay prices still apply. Lilly shows people with government coverage its LillyDirect price of $299 a month for the Zepbound KwikPen or vials at 2.5 mg, rising with dose. NovoCare charges $149 a month for the 1.5 mg Wegovy pill and $349 a month for most Wegovy pen doses after two $199 starter months for new patients through December 31, 2026 (NovoCare). Our guide to GLP-1s without insurance lists every cash option.

Online compounded programs cost less. At the 26 programs we rank, as of November 2026, compounded semaglutide costs $65 to $299 a month and compounded tirzepatide $85.58 to $378.08 at each program’s lowest ongoing price. A compounded GLP-1 is not the brand-name drug and not a generic of it. A compounding pharmacy prepares it, and it isn’t FDA-approved or reviewed by the FDA for safety, effectiveness or quality (FDA). Compare prices on our cheapest GLP-1 list and read the compounded GLP-1 guide first.

The bottom line

Your TRICARE plan decides it. On Prime, Select or a premium-based plan, ask your network provider to file prior authorization for Wegovy or Zepbound. On TRICARE For Life, look at Medicare Part D and the $50 Bridge. For type 2 diabetes, Ozempic and the other diabetes GLP-1s remain covered on every plan. Talk with a licensed clinician about which drug fits you.