We need to appeal the decision to discontinue coverage of my GLP-1 medication.

The letter I received advised lifestyle modifications such as improved diet, exercise, and sleep as alternatives. While these factors are important for overall health, presenting them as a sufficient replacement for medically indicated treatment oversimplifies a complex medical reality.

Weight gain and difficulty with weight loss are not solely the result of lifestyle choices. In my case—and for many patients—contributing factors include PTSD, depression, long-term medication use, metabolic dysfunction, and medical conditions present since birth. These are well-documented medical issues that directly affect weight regulation, insulin response, and appetite signaling. They cannot be resolved through willpower or lifestyle changes alone.

GLP-1 weight loss drug has been an evidence-based, clinically effective part of my treatment plan under medical supervision. I have lost over 120 lbs. Its removal places an undue burden on patients who are already managing chronic health conditions and implies that medical treatment is optional rather than necessary.

Policies that deny access to effective obesity and metabolic treatments reinforce stigma and disregard the established medical consensus that obesity is a chronic, relapsing disease—not a personal failure. This approach disproportionately harms individuals with trauma histories, mental health conditions, and complex medical need.

 It's not affordable anymore to us. That’s the part that really hits. $500–$1200 isn’t just a number — it’s rent, groceries for a month, a car payment, childcare, an emergency cushion that a lot of people don’t even have. For someone without the money, it’s an impossible wall. And for someone with the money, it’s still a painful choice: “I can do this… but what do I give up to do it?”

What makes it worse is how quiet that pressure is. From the outside, it can look like a “personal decision,” but in reality it’s a financial triage:

 Do I delay it and hope things don’t get worse?

Do I put it on a credit card and deal with the stress later?

Do I just go without, even if it affects my health or quality of life?

That kind of cost doesn’t just exclude people — it reshapes behavior, forces people to accept less care, more pain, more risk. And the emotional weight of having to calculate your worth in dollars? That's just not ok.

We respectfully request that this decision be reconsidered and that coverage for GLP-1 therapy be reinstated as part of a comprehensive, medically appropriate treatment plan.

By signing this petition and notifying the right people maybe we can get this overturned.

Here's hoping!