Total reimbursed for Medicaid GLP‑1 drugs in 2025: about $11.95 billion, before rebates. California paid $3.46 billion of it.
Total reimbursed for Medicaid GLP-1 drugs in 2025: about $11.95 billion. California's share was 28.9%. A state-by-state ranking from CMS State Drug Utilization Data.
Published Sep 21, 2026 · Updated Oct 25, 2026
The total reimbursed for Medicaid GLP-1 drugs in calendar year 2025 was about $11.95 billion.2 That figure is the sum of the national rows that CMS publishes in its State Drug Utilization Data.1 It is a pre-rebate figure, and it is a floor.
California paid $3.46 billion, which is 28.9% of the national total.2 No other state passed $1 billion.2
What the number counts
CMS publishes one row per drug code, per state, per quarter.1 We add the reimbursed amount for every GLP-1 drug code across the four quarters of 2025.2 The national rows sum to $11,946,654,116.2 The drugs are Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus, Mounjaro, Zepbound, Trulicity, Victoza, Saxenda and Byetta.1
The total holds two parts. Medicaid itself paid $11.73 billion.2 Other payers on the same claims paid $213.1 million, which is 1.8% of the total.2
The total covers 11,049,588 reimbursed prescriptions.2 A prescription here is one fill, not one patient.
Most of these drugs treat type 2 diabetes. This data does not say why a drug was prescribed, so the total is not a weight-loss figure.
Two limits on the number
It is before rebates. Drug makers pay rebates to the states after the pharmacy is reimbursed, and the utilization data does not show them.3 The net cost to Medicaid is lower than $11.95 billion.2 CMS does not publish the rebate per drug, so nobody outside the program can compute the net figure.3
It is a floor. CMS hides the values in small cells to protect patient privacy.1 In the state rows for 2025, CMS suppressed 1,970 of 8,939 rows, or 22.0%.2 A suppressed row adds nothing to a sum. Every state total on this page is therefore a minimum, not an exact count.
CMS suppresses less at the national level: 26 of the 280 national rows.2
The ranking
The table uses a second base: the 50 states and DC.2 The CMS national rows show 11,049,588 prescriptions and $11.95 billion; the 50 states and DC sum to 10,994,383 prescriptions and $11.89 billion.2 The $59.1 million gap is Puerto Rico ($50.4 million) plus $8.7 million that only the national rows carry.2 The shares in the table below use the state sum as the base. The last column shows how many of the state's rows CMS suppressed.
Five states hold 55.6% of the state sum: California, Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan and North Carolina.2 The top 10 hold 70.1%.2 The bottom 10 hold 1.5%.2
California's total is 3.6 times Pennsylvania's, the state in second place.2 California runs the largest Medicaid program in the country, so a large total is expected. This ranking is in dollars, not dollars per resident. Do not read it as a measure of how generous a state is.
Twenty-two states passed $100 million.2 Seventeen states stayed under $50 million.2 Texas ranks 17th with $178.1 million and Florida ranks 21st with $127.7 million.2 Both are large states with small totals. Population alone does not set the order.
Small states and suppression
Read the bottom of the table with care. Wyoming shows $2.2 million, but CMS suppressed 55 of its 115 rows.2 North Dakota shows $2.5 million with 50 of 76 rows suppressed.2 Arkansas shows $15.4 million with 88 of 218 rows suppressed.2
Suppression hits small cells, so it hits small states hardest. The true totals for these states are higher than the table shows. We cannot say by how much.
At the top of the table the effect is small. California lost 17 of 233 rows.2
The year by quarter
Which molecules the money bought
Before quoting this number
- It is the total reimbursed, before rebates. The net cost to Medicaid is lower and not public.
- It is a floor. CMS suppresses small cells, so every state total is a minimum.
- It is not a weight-loss figure. Most of these drugs treat type 2 diabetes, and the data does not record why a drug was prescribed.
For the Medicare side, see Medicare Part D GLP-1 spending.
Next step
If Medicaid does not cover a GLP-1 for weight loss in your state, compare programs that take insurance and the cheapest GLP-1 programs for paying cash.
How to cite this page
- 1.CMS State Drug Utilization DataMedicaid reimbursement rows per drug code, state and quarter. Calendar year 2025, all four quarters, 40 GLP-1 drug codes.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Servicesretrieved Oct 21, 2026↩
- 2.glp1.health warehouse, Medicaid GLP-1 sums by stateSums, ranks and shares computed by glp1.health from the CMS rows. Data loaded in August 2026. National figures use the CMS national rows. State figures use the state rows.glp1.healthretrieved Oct 21, 2026↩
- 3.Medicaid Drug Rebate ProgramManufacturers pay rebates to states after the pharmacy is reimbursed. The utilization data does not show these rebates.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Servicesretrieved Oct 21, 2026↩
NADAC figures are pharmacy acquisition costs, not retail prices and not what you will pay. This content is educational and is not medical advice.