KFF poll finds 12% of US adults now take a GLP-1 drug as cost complaints persist

About one in eight US adults (12%) say they are currently taking a GLP-1 drug such as Ozempic or Wegovy for weight loss or a chronic condition, and 18% say they have taken one at some point, according to a KFF Health Tracking Poll published Nov. 14, 2025 ^[1][2]. Current use has risen 6 percentage points since May 2024 ^[1].

The survey was conducted Oct. 27–Nov. 2, 2025, online and by telephone among 1,350 US adults, in English and Spanish ^[2]. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points for the full sample and may be higher for subgroups ^[2].

Cost is the most common complaint

Among adults who have taken a GLP-1, 56% said the drugs were difficult to afford, including about one in four who called them “very difficult” to afford ^[1]. A similar share of users who had insurance (55%) reported difficulty paying ^[2].

About a quarter (27%) of GLP-1 users with health insurance said they paid the full cost of the medication themselves, even though most users said their insurance covered at least part of it ^[1][2]. Cost was also a common reason for stopping: 14% of people who had taken a GLP-1 said they stopped because of the price, compared with 13% who cited side effects and 5% who said their condition improved ^[2].

Who is using them

Use is concentrated among people diagnosed with conditions the drugs are prescribed for. Among adults who have been told by a doctor they have diabetes, 57% have ever used a GLP-1 and 45% currently do; among those diagnosed with heart disease, 40% have ever used one and 29% currently do; among those told they were overweight or obese in the past five years, 34% have ever used one and 23% currently do ^[1][2].

Current use is highest among adults ages 50 to 64 (22%) ^[1][2]. It is lower among adults 65 and older (9%), which KFF says likely reflects Medicare’s lack of coverage for drugs prescribed specifically for weight loss ^[1][2]. Women are more likely than men to report current use (15% versus 9%) ^[2].

Most people who have taken a GLP-1 said they got it from a primary care provider or specialist (76%), while 17% used an online provider or website and 9% went to a medical spa or aesthetic medical center ^[1][2].

About one in five adults who have not taken a GLP-1 (22%) said they would be interested in taking one to lose weight, including 7% who said they were “very interested” ^[2]. Interest was 43% among adults who have been diagnosed as overweight or obese and are not currently taking the drugs ^[2].

Separately, 26% of adults said they or someone in their household had trouble paying for prescription drugs in the past 12 months, rising to 41% among uninsured adults ^[1][2].

Why it matters for patients

The poll suggests that cost, rather than finding a prescriber, is the main friction reported by people using these medicines. More than half of users said affording the drugs was difficult, and about one in four insured users said they paid the entire price themselves ^[1][2]. For patients weighing whether to start or stay on a GLP-1, the practical question is often coverage: what a plan will pay, what prior authorization requires, and what the out-of-pocket price is if a claim is denied. Medicare’s rules for weight-loss-only prescriptions are one reason current use is much lower among adults 65 and older than among those 50 to 64 ^[1][2].

The survey was fielded before the Trump administration’s Nov. 6, 2025 announcement of deals with makers of GLP-1 drugs aimed at lowering their cost and expanding coverage in some cases ^[1][2]. How those arrangements will affect what patients actually pay has not been reported. In the same poll, 62% of adults said it was “not too” or “not at all likely” that the administration’s policies would lower prescription drug costs for people like them, while 38% said it was likely ^[1][2].