Skip to content
Telehealth Graded

Search Telehealth Graded

Use arrow keys or Tab to browse. Enter opens a result. Escape closes search.

Enter a name or topic to search.

State guide

Medi-Cal and GLP-1s

California wrote this one into the state budget and then executed it through the pharmacy benefit. Since January 1, 2026, Medi-Cal Rx claims for Wegovy, Zepbound and Saxenda reject at the counter. Two exceptions survived, and one of them opened up in April.

Every source on this page was read first-hand in September 2026, and each one below carries the date printed on the document itself.

3
documents cited
6
sourced facts
3
primary sources

What changed, and what the document says

  1. Wegovy, Zepbound, Saxenda

    Not covered

    Off the Contract Drugs List since January 1, 2026. Approvals already granted expired the day before.

    “Claims for these three drugs will deny with Reject Code 70 – Product/ Service Not Covered regardless of indication, and previously approved prior authorizations (PAs) are deemed expired.”

    Medi-Cal Rx, California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) — January 1, 2026

  2. Zepbound for sleep apnea

    Conditions apply

    The one surviving route to Zepbound. Prior authorization, case by case, for obstructive sleep apnea.

    “PA requests for Zepbound will be considered when used for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).”

    Medi-Cal Rx, California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) — December 12, 2025; Last Updated April 6, 2026

  3. Wegovy for liver disease

    Covered

    Opened up in April 2026, and it doesn't need prior authorization — but the claim has to carry the right diagnosis code or it rejects.

    “Effective April 1, 2026, Wegovy does not require an approved prior authorization (PA) when prescribed for the treatment of noncirrhotic metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH).”

    Medi-Cal Rx, California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) — December 12, 2025; Last Updated April 6, 2026

  4. Ozempic, Mounjaro and the rest

    Context

    Seven other GLP-1s stayed on the list, locked to a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. None of them is a route to a weight-loss prescription.

    “The following GLP-1 drugs are currently on the CDL and continue to have a Code I diagnosis restriction of type 2 diabetes.”

    Medi-Cal Rx, California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) — December 12, 2025; Last Updated April 6, 2026

  5. Under 21

    Covered

    A federal children's benefit still forces a medical-necessity review, even for weight loss.

    “Effective January 1, 2026, PA requests submitted for weight loss or weight loss-related indications will be reviewed for medical necessity for members younger than 21 years of age pursuant to the federal Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit.”

    Medi-Cal Rx, California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) — December 12, 2025; Last Updated April 6, 2026

  6. Where it came from

    Context

    The enacted state budget, as a line item under pharmacy savings.

    “Specialty Drug Coverage for Weight Loss—Elimination of coverage for Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs for weight loss effective January 1, 2026.”

    State of California, Gavin Newsom, Governor — 2025-26

Telehealth in California

Some providers pay us a commission when you sign up through our links, at no extra cost to you.

Which of these companies serve California?

Of the 284 companies we grade, 28 publish a list of the states they are licensed in. We checked 250 more and found no such list on any page we read; 6 we have not checked either way.

20 of those lists name California: Gala Health, Care Bare Rx, Vita Bella, TelePeptide, Invyncible, JumpstartMD, Wisp, WePeptideRx, Ways2Well, Tyde Wellness, Willow, VevaRx, Trimi, Enhance MD, HumeCare+, Rx.com, Mojoon, Peak Wellness, Allara Health, and MEDvidi. That is a licensure claim each company makes about itself, not something we checked with a state board.

A published list is a starting point, not a guarantee. If availability decides your choice, ask before you pay and get the answer in writing.

Coverage decides what you pay before cash does. See how state Medicaid programs cover GLP-1s and what a prior-authorization denial turns on.

Sources

Each document below was fetched and read on the date shown beside it, which is the date printed on the document — not always the date in its web address. All of them were read in September 2026.

  • Changes to Medi-Cal Rx, Effective January 1, 2026 — Medi-Cal Rx, California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). printed under the title on page one: January 1, 2026.
  • GLP-1 Coverage Considerations — Medi-Cal Rx, California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). printed on the document's second line — the URL path reads 2025/12, four months behind the paper: December 12, 2025; Last Updated April 6, 2026.
  • California State Budget 2025-26 — State of California, Gavin Newsom, Governor. the fiscal year on the cover — this document prints no publication date, so none is supplied here: 2025-26.

Nothing on this page is medical advice, and nobody here is a clinician. Coverage rules change; check the linked document before you rely on it.