There are announcements right now about how the White House reached agreements with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk that will fundamentally change how Americans access and afford GLP-1 medications.
And yet, families are still wondering how to put the next meal on the table.
SNAP is unfunded. The government is shut down, currently for over 37 days and 9 hours... and Americans are working, unpaid. Others’ jobs have disappeared.
We’re celebrating new ways to afford medication, when many can’t afford food.
I’m watching the details roll out, and yes, I’m hopeful this could expand access.
But I keep coming back to the same questions:
Why this?
Why now?
What attention will be garnered for the
“art of [this] deal,” while there is
refusal to negotiate about meeting
the most basic needs of Americans?
Who benefits most when we fast-track a deal
with drug companies while leaving
nutrition, food access, and prevention
underfunded and politicized?
We can’t call it progress if we keep overlooking the most basic need: feeding Americans.
Even in the fine print, this isn’t universal access. It’s a pilot. Touting programming for medications that are not actually available yet (re: oral GLP1s). They don’t even exist yet for obesity treatment.
Meanwhile, the cost of groceries keeps climbing. Schools are cutting meal programs. Parents are skipping their own dinners so their kids can eat.
Stress is through the roof—and yes, that stress directly contributes to weight struggles, emotional eating, and burnout throughout our families.
We’re pouring billions into pharmaceutical partnerships that promise to make America thinner, but not necessarily healthier.
Because health isn’t just what we inject.
Health isn’t about making transactions easier.
Health is about how we live, how we connect, and how we nourish one another.
I’m not anti-medication.
Medications can be powerful tools when utilized in the right setting, with the right care and with comprehensive support that acknowledges what the medication doesn't treat. This is especially important for those who’ve been left behind by systems that stigmatize weight and limit care.
But no drug, however effective, replaces food security, safe housing, time to cook, rest, or connection.
No prescription can rebuild trust between families and communities.
When we center policy and profit on the next “miracle” medication, we keep missing what’s upstream:
the social conditions that create disease in the first place.
I'm going to be blunt and challenge you:
Question everything that sounds like a magic bullet.
Question every promise that skips over prevention, community, and equity.
Question who really benefits here, and who is overlooked or harmed?
Because the real work of healing doesn’t start with what’s in the syringe. It starts with what’s actually on the table: in our lives, neighborhoods, and in our priorities as a nation.
Access to care must include access to nourishment.
If we want a healthier nation, we have to start feeding people—not just medicating them.
-------------- xoxo --------------
Dr. Wendy Schofer, MD is a dual-board certified pediatrician and lifestyle physician, and trauma-informed parenting coach. As Founder of Family in Focus®, she is on a mission to help 1 million parents relieve stress, strengthen relationships with food, body, and family, and design homes where health feels easy, joyful, and connected. Learn more at www.WendySchoferMD.com.
Check out the Family in Focus with Wendy Schofer, MD Podcast!
Stay connected with news and updates!
Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.
Don't worry, your information will not be shared.
We hate SPAM. We will never sell your information, for any reason.
