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Does Aetna cover Trulicity?

There are many types of Aetna plans, and coverage for Trulicity varies
By | Aug. 5, 2025 Medically reviewed by Chad Shaffer, MD
A health insurance card, medication, and a stethoscope: Does Aetna cover Trulicity?

Key takeaways

  • Aetna typically covers Trulicity, but coverage and cost vary by plan.

  • Aetna usually requires prior authorization for Trulicity coverage.

  • If your Aetna plan doesn’t cover Trulicity, a SingleCare discount card can help you get it at a reduced price.

In this article:

Trulicity (dulaglutide) is a brand-name prescription medication that belongs to a class of drugs called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. Trulicity is approved by the Food and Drug Administration to help control blood sugar levels in people 10 years and older with Type 2 diabetes mellitus and to reduce the risk of heart attack, heart-related fatal event, and stroke in adults with Type 2 diabetes. It’s available as a once-weekly injection and is usually covered by insurance. 

Does Aetna cover Trulicity?

Drug coverage varies by plan, and some Aetna health insurance plans don’t cover any prescription medications. When Aetna does cover prescriptions, it typically covers Trulicity. 

Here’s what you need to know:

Pamela Tambini, a double board-certified physician in internal medicine and addiction medicine and Medical Director at Engage Wellness in Acton, Massachusetts, says, “In my experience, Aetna often does cover Trulicity, especially for people with Type 2 diabetes who have not had enough success with first-line treatments like metformin. That said, it is usually not automatic. Most Aetna plans require prior authorization, which means we must justify why Trulicity is medically necessary.”

Under Aetna’s coverage criteria, you must have a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes and may not have received a maintenance dose of any other GLP-1 receptor agonist (such as Ozempic or Victoza) for at least three months in order to be approved for a Trulicity prescription. In addition, at least one of the following statements must be true:

  • You’re unable to take metformin, or you’ve tried metformin and it didn’t work or caused unwanted side effects.
  • Your blood sugar needs to be managed by more than one medication, and your A1C is 7.5% or higher.
  • You’ve been diagnosed with advanced chronic kidney disease.
  • You’ve been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease or have multiple risk factors for it. 

Although GLP-1 treatments have become popular for weight loss, Aetna doesn’t cover Trulicity for this purpose. 

If your Aetna plan doesn’t cover Trulicity or the company denies your prior authorization request, your healthcare provider can submit an exception request on your behalf. 

“I have had patients whose Trulicity prescriptions were initially denied,” Dr. Tambini says. “This usually occurs when the documentation doesn’t indicate that the patient has tried other medications, such as metformin, or if the diagnosis isn’t detailed enough. The good news is that if there is a strong clinical reason and we provide the proper paperwork, those denials are often reversed.”

Does Aetna cover generic Trulicity?

Dulaglutide, the active ingredient in Trulicity, isn’t currently available as a generic. Lilly holds exclusive manufacturer rights for Trulicity until 2027, when its U.S. patent will expire. This means generic Trulicity won’t be manufactured for another two years or so. 

That said, insurance companies like Aetna typically cover generic medications when available.

How much does Trulicity cost without insurance?

Without insurance, Trulicity costs about $1,405 per 4, 0.5 mL of 1.5 mg/0.5 mL autoinjector pens, amounting to a one-month supply. This is similar to the retail price of other GLP-1 receptor agonists.

How much does Trulicity cost with Aetna?

Every Aetna plan has different copay and co-insurance rules, but you can expect to pay about $50 for a one-month supply of a preferred, non-generic drug like Trulicity. 

If you have prescription coverage through Medicare, your total out-of-pocket expenses for all of your medications will be no more than your out-of-pocket maximum for the year. That’s $2,000 for 2025 and $2,100 for 2026. After you reach that amount, your prescriptions will be covered in full for the rest of the year.

How to check whether your Aetna plan covers Trulicity 

The easiest way to check whether your Aetna plan covers Trulicity is to call the customer care number located on the back of your health insurance card.

If you have an online Aetna account, you can log in and check your documents. The drug list, or formulary, will say whether or not Trulicity is covered. Press the CTRL and F keys simultaneously to search this long document, or look for Trulicity in the alphabetical index. 

How to save on Trulicity

There are ways to save money on Trulicity, whether or not Aetna covers it. For example, you can use a SingleCare prescription discount card to save over $600 a month, depending on your choice of pharmacy and location. You can use SingleCare to compare prices at participating pharmacies. Once you find the pharmacy with the lowest coupon price, save your coupon to your free SingleCare account, print it, or send a copy to yourself via text or email. When you pick up your Trulicity prescription, show the SingleCare card to the pharmacist for your instant discount. 

You can also talk to your healthcare provider about more affordable alternatives. Two GLP-1 receptor agonists—Victoza (liraglutide) and Byetta (exenatide)—are available in generic versions that cost a fraction of the brand-name price. However, they may not protect the heart as well as Trulicity. Your healthcare provider can weigh the potential risks and benefits of different medications to find one that meets your individual needs.

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