Planning costs
Read the small print on a cash price.
Cash means paying outside insurance. Check who can use an opening offer, when it ends, and what you would pay afterward.
To begin
A concrete example of an opening offer
Ozempic (semaglutide) is approved to help control blood sugar in people who have type 2 diabetes.
As of September 2026, each of its first two monthly supplies costs $199 in cash for the 0.25 mg and 0.5 mg strengths. New patients qualify if they live in the US, are at least 18 years old, and pay outside insurance.
Strength means the amount of medicine in a dose; mg means milligrams, a measure of that amount. After the first two supplies, each month costs $349 at 0.25 mg, at 0.5 mg, or at 1 mg, and $499 at 2 mg.
As of September 2026, this opening offer ends on December 31, 2026.
These are medicine prices, rather than a quote for a full course of care. Ask separately about visits and tests.
Look a little closer
Cash and insurance are different routes
As of September 2026, using this cash offer means you cannot ask your insurance to pay you back. You also cannot count the payment toward your deductible.
Certain plan benefits start only after you pay an amount called the deductible. Ask your plan to compare the cash route with the cost under your coverage.
Look a little closer
Get an offer you can compare
Does this price apply to my product and form?
What supply period does the payment cover?
Is it an opening offer or the ongoing price?
Would a late refill change the offer?
What are the care charges outside this medicine price?
Chapter recap
Keep this in mind.
Copy the offer’s limits along with its price. The headline alone is too little to compare.