Coverage summary
| Indication | Coverage |
|---|---|
| Wegovy (weight loss) | Limited |
| Zepbound (weight loss) | Limited |
| Ozempic or Mounjaro (type 2 diabetes) | Yes |
If Tennessee Medicaid says no, two cash programs to check.
No insurance needed.
- Strut Health$149 a month, with auto-refillcompounded semaglutideCheck price →You pick Weight Loss, then a five-minute online visit
- Shed$199 a month30% off first month with code Shed10compounded semaglutideCheck price →A health form first, then you choose your plan
Cheapest GLP-1 without insurance compares the three cash routes, and cheapest GLP-1 in Tennessee prices each drug that ships there.
A clinical trial costs nothing, and nobody checks your income.
Prior-authorization criteria
These rules come from the state preferred drug list (PDL), the list of drugs Tennessee Medicaid has agreed to pay for. Prior authorization means your doctor asks the plan to approve the drug before the pharmacy fills it. Nearly every state covers the diabetes path that way.
| Criterion | Value |
|---|---|
| How hard the approval is | Hard |
| BMI threshold (weight-loss path) | BMI 30+ |
| Comorbidity required | No |
| Last PDL update reviewed | July 1, 2026 |
If the plan denies it, the appeal letter templates cover the reasons plans give and what to send back.
What TennCare paid for GLP-1s
TennCare reported 49,487 GLP-1 prescriptions to CMS in 2025's last quarter and paid pharmacies $54.4 million.
Counts Wegovy, Zepbound, Ozempic, Mounjaro, Saxenda and Rybelsus, in fee-for-service and managed care, before rebates. CMS blanks its smallest rows, so the real figures are higher. Source: CMS State Drug Utilization Data.
What this means in practice
TennCare, which is Tennessee Medicaid, covers Wegovy and Zepbound for weight loss, and it survived the July 2026 budget. Your doctor files for approval first, the step called prior authorization. Two rules catch people out. You have to be 21 or older, where most states say 18, and children qualify only if the drug's label covers their age. Your first approval runs three months, a limit that started January 1, 2026. Since December 2025 you can be on just one GLP-1 at a time.
Managed-care organizations in Tennessee
Tennessee Medicaid pays private health plans, called managed-care organizations or MCOs, to run its coverage. An MCO has to cover at least what the state list covers and can add rules of its own. Check your own plan's current rules before you send anything in.
- BlueCare Tennessee
- UnitedHealthcare Community Plan TN
- Amerigroup Tennessee (Anthem)
Cash-pay alternatives if Medicaid does not cover you
If you end up paying cash, the GLP-1 cost guide has what each cash route costs, from the compounded floor to the manufacturer-direct brand prices. Federal law bars manufacturer savings cards for anyone on Medicaid.
If a supply gap rather than cost is blocking your refill, the GLP-1 shortage tracker shows which formulations the FDA lists as in shortage now. And if you are 65 or older and also have Medicare, the senior GLP-1 hub lays out the Medicare coverage paths for dual-eligible patients.
For the full cash-pay picture specific to Tennessee, see the cheapest GLP-1 in Tennessee guide.
26 GLP-1 clinical trials are recruiting in Tennessee, and a study supplies its own study medication. Every site is listed on GLP-1 clinical trials in Tennessee.
Tennessee Medicaid GLP-1 FAQ
Does TennCare (Tennessee Medicaid) cover Wegovy for weight loss?
Does TennCare (Tennessee Medicaid) cover Zepbound for weight loss?
Does TennCare (Tennessee Medicaid) cover Ozempic or Mounjaro for diabetes?
What if TennCare (Tennessee Medicaid) does not cover my GLP-1?
Other state Medicaid pages
See the full 51-state coverage table for the side-by-side view across every US state.
How we built this page
Compiled from each state Medicaid's published preferred drug list, PA criteria and PDL committee minutes. State Medicaid programs are not federally required to cover obesity drugs; the diabetes indication is covered nearly everywhere with PA. State-level data is point-in-time and shifts each PDL cycle. Always verify with your state Medicaid plan before relying on this page.
Checked August 24, 2026. We check each state Medicaid PDL and PA criteria quarterly. If you have recently had a different experience with Tennessee Medicaid, email hello@glpchart.com with the details and we will check it.