# Pritzker's Weight-Loss Drug Comes Free — for 55,000 State Workers Too

- URL: https://twotakes.us/stories/pritzkers-weight-loss-drug-comes-free-for-55000-state-workers-too
- Published: 2026-09-22T07:14:50.941137+00:00
- Topics: glp-1, healthcare-policy, jb-pritzker, state-spending, 2028-election

## What the left says
- Pritzker's personal transparency about a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis and GLP-1 use helps destigmatize obesity as a medical condition rather than a personal failing, especially after years of public fat-shaming by Trump.
- Covering GLP-1 drugs for state employees is a preventive health investment that can reduce long-term costs from diabetes, heart disease, and other obesity-related conditions.
- His weight loss reflects a broader public health shift where new medications are finally giving people struggling with weight a tool that works after a lifetime of difficulty.
- Pritzker has been direct that he's focused on his reelection and hasn't confirmed 2028 ambitions, deflecting attempts to tie his health disclosure to presidential positioning.

## What the right says
- A $147 million state expenditure in one year, with projections potentially reaching three times original estimates, raises serious concerns about fiscal responsibility and taxpayer burden.
- Pritzker avoided questions about his weight loss for a year before disclosing it, suggesting the timing of this reveal is calculated around his reelection campaign and potential 2028 ambitions.
- The optics of a governor using a drug costing over $16,000 per year per person, funded by taxpayers, while touting personal transformation invite scrutiny of self-serving political messaging.
- Trump's past criticism of Pritzker's weight, however blunt, is now being used as a backdrop to frame this disclosure as image rehabilitation ahead of a national run.

## Common ground
- Pritzker has lost 80 pounds using a GLP-1 medication since being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes roughly two years ago.
- Illinois expanded GLP-1 coverage for state employees beyond diabetes treatment to include weight loss starting in July 2024.
- The program covers approximately 55,000 state workers and cost the state $147 million in fiscal year 2025.
- Pritzker has said he is focused on his reelection campaign this fall and has not confirmed whether he will run for president in 2028.

## Sources
- [Breitbart](https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/09/21/jb-pritzker-glp1-80-pounds-illinois-state-workers/) (Right)
- [Daily Wire](https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-with-sights-on-2028-presidential-bid-loses-80-pounds-with-fat-shot) (Right)
- [New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/21/us/politics/jb-pritzker-glp-1-ozempic-2028-presidential-race.html) (Lean Left)
- [Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/21/pritzker-says-hes-lost-80-pounds-on-glp-1-since-diabetes-diagnosis-01086118) (Lean Left)
- [The Hill](https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/6102133-pritzker-lost-80-pounds-glp-1/) (Center)

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