How much does Mounjaro cost without insurance?

If you’ve heard about Mounjaro (tirzepatide) for weight loss, you’ve probably also heard that the drug is expensive. Without health insurance, Mounjaro is even more costly. Currently, there is no generic version of Mounjaro (or of the other popular GLP-1 medications Ozempic and Wegovy). 

Fortunately, there are ways to save on the cost of Mounjaro, even without health insurance. Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro Savings card and pharmacy coupons can help you save on the cost of Mounjaro. Continue reading to learn more about the cost of Mounjaro with and without insurance and how you can save on this drug.

Mounjaro, the brand name version of tirzepatide, is a prescription medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat type 2 diabetes in adults. Mounjaro is prescribed along with a healthy diet and exercise routine to manage blood sugar. Mounjaro works by slowing down how long it takes for food to travel through your digestive system. This works for weight loss by making you feel full longer, so you eat less frequently.

While Mounjaro is not FDA-approved as a weight management option, it can be prescribed off-label to help people lose weight and keep the weight off. However, because Mounjaro is not approved to treat overweight and obesity, it may not be covered by insurance for this use.

If you’ve been prescribed Mounjaro for weight loss but your insurance doesn’t cover the drug or you don’t have insurance, you’re probably wondering how much Mounjaro costs without insurance. Unfortunately, it’s an expensive drug.The list price for Mounjaro is $1,023.04 for a month’s supply (four pre-filled pens of Mounjaro, which are injected once per week). That breaks down to $255.76 per week or $13,299.52 per year. 

The list price represents the cost at which Eli Lilly sells Mounjaro to pharmacies and retailers. It does not represent the actual retail price of the drug or factor in any insurance copays or Mounjaro coupons. How much you will pay for Mounjaro depends on your location, insurance coverage, the pharmacy you use, and whether you have been prescribed Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes or for weight loss.

Getting Mounjaro for free would mean that your insurance fully covers the cost of the drug, and you don’t have a deductible and/or copay. While this is theoretically possible with certain insurance plans, chances are that you won’t get Mounjaro for $0. You will likely pay a copay or a deductible, and how much that will be depends on your insurance plan coverage.

While getting Mounjaro for $0 is unlikely, you might get it for as little as $25 for a 1-month supply.  

The Mounjaro Savings Card is available through Eli Lilly. Depending on your eligibility, you may pay only $25 for a 1-month or 3-month supply of Mounjaro. Unfortunately, the Mounjaro Savings Card is only available to people with commercial health insurance. To find out if you are eligible, you can answer a quick 3-question online quiz and download the Mounjaro Savings Card right after. 

To use the Mounjaro Savings Card, you must be a resident of the United States or Puerto Rico, with a Mounjaro prescription for type 2 diabetes, and no prescription drug coverage through federal or state-funded insurance. Individual pharmacies and retailers may offer their own coupons for Mounjaro. According to GoodRx, pharmacies like CVS, Vons, and Rite Aid offer coupons that can bring down the price of Mounjaro by up to 23%. 

There are many pharmacies that offer coupons and prescription discount cards. Check out the following options for potential savings on Mounjaro without health insurance:

• Blink Health: Save up to 80% on medication at participating pharmacies. Blink Health also provides remote doctor consultations.

• Costco Member Prescription Program: If you have a Costco membership card, you may receive up to 80% off prescriptions. 

• Optum Perks: Save up to 80% on prescriptions.

• ScriptSave WellRX: Save up to 80% on prescriptions at participating pharmacies.

Mounjaro is a prescription medication, so you can’t get Mounjaro consulting with a licensed healthcare professional, so the first step is to make an appointment. If you have type 2 diabetes, they may prescribe Mounjaro as a diabetes medication. If you want to get Mounjaro for weight loss, they may prescribe it to you off-label. Off-label prescribing is when a healthcare provider uses their clinical judgment to prescribe a treatment for a particular condition, even if that’s not the FDA-labeled use for the medication. This is a common practice, particularly with certain drugs.

You may find it more convenient to get a prescription for Mounjaro through an online telehealth service like Ro. Online telehealth services connect you with a licensed healthcare professional who can review your medical history and recommend treatment during an online visit, if appropriate. If they determine Mounjaro is right for you, you’ll be given a prescription which you can use to get the medication from your local pharmacy.

If you have health insurance and your insurance provider covers your medication, that may significantly lower the cost of Mounjaro. Some insurance plans may cover it for treating type 2 diabetes—the condition Mounjaro is FDA-approved to treat—but not for treating obesity alone, which is an off-label use of Mounjaro. To see if your insurance offers coverage for Mounjaro, review your plan’s prescription drug coverage or call your insurance to ask.

Does Medicaid cover Mounjaro?

While some Medicaid programs cover weight loss drugs, others may require prior authorization or other treatments to be tried first. As a newer drug, Mounjaro may not be covered by Medicaid. The best way to find out if Mounjaro is covered is to contact your state Medicaid agency and review your plan’s drug formulary. 

Does Medicare cover Mounjaro?

Generally, Medicare prescription drug plans like Medicare Part D do not cover weight loss drugs. To see if Mounjaro is covered, review your plan’s formulary. If Mounjaro is not listed, you may be able to work with your healthcare provider to request an exception.

Your private or commercial insurance company probably only covers Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes, not for weight loss. If you're trying to get Mounjaro covered by your health insurance, there are three things you can do: 

1. Talk to your healthcare provider: Before checking insurance coverage for Mounjaro, you need to ensure the medication is suitable for you. Talk to your doctor about whether Mounjaro is the right choice. Once you get a prescription for Mounjaro, you can look into insurance coverage

2. Check in with your insurance provider: Contact your health insurance provider to see whether your plan covers the medication. Make sure you also ask about your insurance plan’s out-of-pocket costs and if prior authorization is needed. Before contacting your insurance provider, you can review your health insurance plan’s drug list (also known as a drug formulary), which you can find in your plan information. 

3. Be persistent: If your insurance plan does not provide coverage for Mounjaro, you may be able to request it with the help of your healthcare provider. Eli Lilly offers a sample letter template of medical necessity your healthcare provider can use to request coverage. 

Recent years have seen the rise of several GLP-1 medications for type 2 diabetes and weight loss. Mounjaro (and Zepbound, which has the same active ingredient) stands out among these medications for being a dual glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptor agonist and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, which may make it more effective for both blood sugar control and weight loss. However, depending on your personal health situation and insurance coverage, another GLP-1 medication may be a better option for you. Here’s a quick look at the most common alternatives to Mounjaro.

• Ozempic (semaglutide): Similar to Mounjaro, Ozempic is an injectable GLP-1 agonist that treats type 2 diabetes, in combination with diet and exercise. It can also be prescribed off-label for weight loss. Comparing Mounjaro vs. Ozempic, people taking 1 mg of Ozempic lost an average of up to 7% of their body weight, while those taking the highest dose of Mounjaro (15 mg) lost over 20%.

• Wegovy (semaglutide): Wegovy shares the same active ingredient with Ozempic, semaglutide. However, it is FDA-approved specifically for weight management, in combination with diet and exercise, for people with a BMI of 30 and above or a BMI of 27 and above who also have a weight-related medical condition. A weekly dose of the maximum dose of Wegovy (2.4 mg) has been shown to help people lose an average of 15% of body weight

• Saxenda (liraglutide): Saxenda is also FDA-approved for chronic weight management, in combination with diet and exercise. Within one year of starting Saxenda, the majority of participants lost 5–10% of their body weight, according to clinical studies.

• Trulicity (dulaglutide): Trulicity is a GLP-1 agonist for type 2 diabetes that can also lead to weight loss, with decreased appetite being a common side effect. In clinical trials, people taking Trulicity lost between 1% to 2% of their body weight by six months, depending on their dose. When used in higher doses, and in combination with metformin, another diabetes medication, people lost up to 4.6% of their body weight.

• Bydureon (exenatide): Bydureon also treats type 2 diabetes, and can result in weight loss. Some studies indicate it promotes weight loss, along with lower BMIs and waist circumferences, among people who are obese or overweight but don’t have diabetes. However, other studies have found that, over the long term, the weight loss achieved with Bydureon is comparable to that achieved with a reduced-calorie diet.

• Zepbound (tirzepatide): This medication contains the same active ingredient as Mounjaro and is available in exactly the same dosages. The difference is that Zepbound is FDA approved for weight management while Mounjaro is FDA approved for diabetes management. This distinction is most important when it comes to getting insurance coverage for your medication since some insurers may cover diabetes treatment but not weight loss treatment or vice versa.

What’s considered a healthy body weight can vary from person to person. For one-on-one support and a personalized treatment plan for weight loss, consider the Ro Body program or your primary healthcare provider.

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How we reviewed this article

Every article on Health Guide goes through rigorous fact-checking by our team of medical reviewers. Our reviewers are trained medical professionals who ensure each article contains the most up-to-date information, and that medical details have been correctly interpreted by the writer.

Current version

March 13, 2024

Written by

Abbi Havens

Fact checked by

Yael Cooperman, MD

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About the medical reviewer

Yael Cooperman, MD, Ro

Yael Cooperman is a physician and works as a Senior Manager, Medical Content & Education at Ro.