Illinois Taxpayers Appear to Be Footing the Bill for Billionaire Pritzker's Weight Loss Drug
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker revealed to “CBS Mornings” that for the last two years he has been using a GLP-1 medication to lose weight.
In a CBS News interview broadcast Monday, Pritzker said he’s lost 80 pounds so far and he feels “a whole lot different and a whole lot better.”
“I’ve been overweight most of my life, really, since I was probably 7 or 8 years old,” Pritzker said.
Pritzker told the network a diabetes diagnosis two years ago pushed the change. A doctor recommended a GLP-1 and warned he might need treatment for life. Pritzker said he injects weekly, walks about four miles most mornings, and is off insulin.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker told @davidbegnaud that he’s “been driven my whole life to lose weight” — and two years ago, he added a new tool to that effort: A GLP-1.
First on CBS Mornings, Gov. Pritzker shared about the decision to use the medication for weight loss after being diagnosed with diabetes and why he’s directing the state’s insurance plan to cover GLP-1s for state employees.
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) September 21, 2026
Buried later in the same interview was the line that matters to people who pay Illinois taxes. Pritzker said GLP-1 treatments are on the state insurance plan for 55,000 state employees.
“Why? We’re going to save money,” he said.
Fewer people with diabetes, and less obesity, means fewer other diseases and savings for the state health system.
I decided to share my health journey with GLP-1s because I thought it might make a difference for others.
I don’t take for granted that we now have tools to help us live healthier lives — and I hope sharing encourages people to explore their options. https://t.co/j5rIsfxReN
— Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) September 22, 2026
Pritzker is the governor, a state employee. The plan he just advertised covers the class of drug he has been taking for two years.
CBS News did not produce his personal claim form. It does not take a forensic accountant to see how this looks.
Forbes, cited by the Chicago Sun-Times, puts his net worth at $4.2 billion — up $1 billion since he became governor in 2019. He is an heir to the Hyatt fortune. He can buy the shots himself.
Illinois expanded GLP-1 coverage beyond diabetes treatment to include weight loss beginning July 1, 2024, for adults with obesity, pre-diabetes, or gestational diabetes enrolled in the state employee health program.
The expansion was estimated by the governor’s office to cost $210 million in its first year, while outside analysis put the potential cost substantially higher. Individual GLP-1 prescriptions can also cost more than $16,000 per year at list-price levels.
Pritzker denied he dropped the weight to polish a 2028 presidential image. He said he has been driven his whole life to lose it and wants to remain governor “for a while longer.” He also said his platform as governor is a chance to tell people the drugs can work.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker says he’s lost 80 pounds on GLP-1, sparking fresh talk of 2028 White House run https://t.co/fjRgzRD1en https://t.co/gwvEYSUaEH
— New York Post (@nypost) September 21, 2026
That is a nice speech from a man who will never wait in line at a pharmacy.
Working families in Illinois fund a government that already struggles to keep the lights on. The state now funds the high-demand weight-loss drug for its 55,000-person workforce, and this policy heavily spotlights the billionaire governor’s vocal praise of his own results from the drug.
If the coverage truly saves money, show the ledger. If Pritzker’s own doses are on that plan, say so. If they are not, say that too.
Until then, the picture is simple enough: Illinois taxpayers appear to be subsidizing a billionaire’s waistline, and he went on national television to call it thrift.
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