Roundup: Louisiana law school No. 5? / Medicare and GLP-1 / Small meatpacker support

Law school limbo: Northwestern State University President Jimmy Genovese is pushing to open North Louisiana’s first law school, an idea he says originated with Gov. Jeff Landry, who has since quietly withdrawn support. As The Illuminator reports, Genovese’s formal proposal, submitted with a trial-attorney ally on the university system’s board, stalled after Higher Education Commissioner Kim Hunter Reed declined to expedite review. Despite no movement toward approval, Genovese keeps publicly promoting the school, frustrating lawmakers who say he’s raising false hopes for a project the Board of Regents hasn’t advanced. The Illuminator has the full story.

Obesity coverage begins: Beginning July 1, Medicare will begin covering certain GLP-1 weight-loss medications for eligible beneficiaries through a temporary demonstration program known as the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge, CNBC reports.  This marks the first time Medicare will pay for these drugs when they are prescribed specifically for obesity treatment, rather than only for diabetes. Participants will pay a standardized $50 monthly copay for covered medications such as Wegovy and Zepbound, which are produced by Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly and have become widely used for significant weight loss. CNBC has the full story.

Meatpacker lifeline: The Trump administration plans to spend up to $500 million to support smaller and midsize meatpackers so they can keep slaughtering cattle despite tight supplies and high beef prices. The largest companies, such as Tyson, JBS, Cargill and National Beef, would be excluded from the program. Officials say the goal is to stabilize beef supply, support competition and ease price pressure while antitrust scrutiny of major packers continues. The Wall Street Journal has the full story.