Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) said Monday that the state covers GLP-1 weight-loss drugs for 55,000 state employees, revealing in the same interview that he has personally lost 80 pounds on the medication.
The Democrat made the disclosure to CBS News in an interview that aired Monday, arguing the state-funded coverage will ultimately save money because fewer residents will develop diabetes.
Pritzker said he wants to use his office to promote the drug.
“I have an opportunity, just with the platform I have as governor, to tell people that this is something that can work for them,” Pritzker said. “I think they should do it with a doctor’s advice. But I can tell you, at least for me, it has been really life-changing.”
His administration expanded the coverage beyond diabetes patients to include weight loss in July 2024. The change cost Illinois $147 million in fiscal year 2025, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Pritzker’s office had initially estimated $210 million for the first full year, a figure some economists projected could run three times higher, with individual prescriptions costing more than $16,000 a year.
The governor had dodged questions about his weight loss for the past year before the disclosure, according to NBC Chicago. He said he injects the drug weekly, walks nearly four miles along Lake Michigan most mornings, and is no longer on insulin.
“All of a sudden, on the third day, I was like, you know, actually, I don’t need to eat that thing,” Pritzker said, describing the end of his food cravings.
Pritzker pointed to his own family history. His father, Donald, suffered a fatal heart attack at 39 on a tennis court, and the governor said he had struggled with his weight since age seven or eight.
Pritzker is seeking a third term this fall and has been widely floated as a 2028 Democrat presidential contender. He declined to say whether a White House run factored into his decision to lose weight, pointing instead to his reelection bid.
“I honestly am focused on what’s best for the people of Illinois,” Pritzker said when asked directly about 2028.
During the 2024 presidential campaign, President Donald Trump said Pritzker “wants to eat all the time.”
