Forget the Snake Venom— Congress Is About to Write Novo a $35 Billion Medicare Check

While headlines obsess over “reptile venom” conspiracies and viral Ozempic side-effect lawsuits, the real policy bomb sits quietly in Congress. The Treat and Reduce Obesity Act—known as TROA—would for the first time allow Medicare to cover weight-loss drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic. That’s not myth. That’s lawmaking.

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The Bill That Changes Everything

Source: Congress

On Congress.gov, TROA’s language is clear: amend the Social Security Act to expand Part D so it can cover FDA-approved anti-obesity medications and extend access to intensive behavioral therapy (IBT).

For twenty years, Medicare has been legally barred from paying for obesity drugs. TROA would blow that door wide open—and funnel billions of taxpayer dollars straight into Novo Nordisk’s pipeline.

The $35 Billion Price Tag

The Congressional Budget Office ran the numbers in October 2024. Their estimate: Medicare coverage of weight-loss drugs will increase federal spending by $35 billion between 2026 and 2034.

Direct costs: $1.6 billion in 2026, rising to $7.1 billion by 2034.
Offsetting health savings: minimal—less than $50 million in 2026, only $1 billion by 2034.

That’s the blindspot. While influencers shout about “venom,” the CBO is telling Congress this is a budgetary time bomb.

Lobbying Blitz: Follow the Money

Novo Nordisk isn’t leaving this to chance. According to OpenSecrets, the company has already spent $3.38 million lobbying in 2025—just in the first half of the year.

Source: Open Secrets

Q1 filings: $2.33 million in-house, plus big checks to Nickles Group, Checkmate, Arnold & Porter, and others.
Q2 filings: another $1.05 million, with TROA explicitly listed among the bills they targeted in Congress (see the bill list).\

This isn’t about patient “access.” It’s about securing a government-guaranteed revenue stream while lawsuits mount.

The Legal Backdrop

Meanwhile, in Illinois, MDL No. 3094 is growing fast—consolidating over 2,000 lawsuits alleging Ozempic and Wegovy caused blindness, gastroparesis, gallbladder disease, and other harms. Insiders report that plaintiffs now expect the first bellwether trials by 2026, with damages projected in the billions.

Novo Nordisk denies causality. But here’s the playbook: secure Medicare coverage through TROA, fortify revenues, and blunt financial risk—even if liability sticks.

The Real Blindspot

The venom myth is a sideshow. The lawsuits are serious, but they’re not the structural driver. The real story is this:

Congress is preparing to override a 20-year Medicare ban.
The CBO warns taxpayers will be on the hook for $35 billion.
Novo is spending millions to make it happen while fighting 2,000 lawsuits.

Where the Fight Belongs

Don’t waste time fact-checking reptile memes. Watch the TROA hearings. Watch the CBO’s scorekeeping. Watch the lobbying disclosures.

Because the question isn’t whether Ozempic came from a lizard. The question is whether Congress is about to write Novo Nordisk a $35 billion Medicare check—right as their drug sits in federal court.

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