If the proposal is finalized, it could set the stage for a showdown between the pharmaceutical industry and the Trump administration.

Millions of Americans would be eligible to have costly weight-loss drugs like Wegovy or Ozempic covered by Medicare or Medicaid under the rule.

The proposal would expand coverage of anti-obesity drugs to 7.5 million people covered by Medicare and Medicaid, the Biden administration said.

The proposal would let patients get Wegovy, Ozempic and related drugs for obesity, which Medicare and Medicaid does not cover now.

The Biden administration wants to expand coverage of anti-obesity medications to millions on Medicare, Medicaid.

Popular weight-loss drugs like Wegovy or Ozempic would be covered by Medicare or Medicaid under a newly-proposed rule by the Biden administration.

President Joe Biden’s proposal to have GLP-1 weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy, Ozempic, Zepbound and Mounjaro covered by Medicare and Medicaid would help tackle the public-health crisis of obesity, but it would raise the costs for the government programs by billions of dollars per year.

The Biden administration called for Medicare and Medicaid to cover popular drugs that help people lose weight but are not affordable for many Americans who might benefit from them. NBC News' Stephanie Gosk reports.

The Biden administration is proposing a rule that would require the US government to cover obesity drugs for millions of Americans, teeing up a financial and political challenge for President-elect Donald Trump as he prepares to take office.