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For many years, a major barrier to popular weight-loss medications has been straightforward: although millions of Americans may want them, many cannot afford them.

Eli Lilly (LLY) is beginning to demonstrate what occurs when that barrier is removed.

More than 500,000 people have joined a Medicare pilot offering eligible older adults and people with disabilities access to obesity drugs for $50 a month, according to Reuters.

For Lilly, this increased access contributed to yet another huge quarter.

The pharmaceutical business increased its sales prediction for 2026 to between $91 billion and $92 billion after reporting $24.4 billion in third-quarter revenue, up 39% from the same period last year.

Lilly’s market worth might increase by over $80 billion after shares surged 7.5% on Thursday and hit a record.

The fact that Zepbound and Mounjaro are selling well isn’t the only intriguing aspect for investors.

In fact, Lilly’s realized prices decreased throughout the quarter.

The business gained a lot more clients to make up for it.

This might indicate the next stage of the weight-loss medication boom: reduced costs could not be detrimental to Lilly if they significantly expand the market.

Eli Lilly is trading price for millions of potential patients

Lilly’s third-quarter results demonstrate the strength of that trade-off.

Worldwide revenue increased 39% to $24.4 billion.

Sales volume rose 53%, while realized prices declined 15%, according to Eli Lilly’s earnings release.

This indicates that even though Lilly made less money per unit on average, it sold a lot more medications.

In the U.S., revenue increased 34% to $15.1 billion. Volume rose 41%, while realized prices declined 7%.

Sales of Lilly’s obesity medication Zepbound reached $5.35 billion in the third quarter, a 49% increase over the same period last year.

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Approved for Type 2 diabetes, Mounjaro brought in $10.72 billion, a 65% increase.

Those are huge figures already.

However, because insurance coverage and cost have generally limited obesity therapy, the potential market remains considerably larger.

That may decide if a prescription becomes a real therapy for a typical patient.

A doctor may suggest a medication for weight reduction, but it won’t help if the patient has to pay hundreds of dollars each month.

That computation is altered when insurance coverage is increased.

Reuters reported that Lilly’s Medicare pilot offers eligible older Americans and people with disabilities obesity medication for $50 per month. More than 500,000 customers have already enrolled in the program.

Therefore, Lilly may be able to reach clients who previously could not afford its products by agreeing to a cheaper price.

One patient paying less may negatively impact pricing.

On an income statement, hundreds of thousands of additional patients may seem quite different.

Lower prices are becoming part of Lilly’s growth story

The traditional pharmaceutical model often rewards companies for maintaining high prices on successful drugs.

Weight-loss medications might be evolving differently.

Because there are so many prospective patients, Lilly could increase overall sales even if it sacrifices some income per prescription.

Its most recent quarter illustrates this dynamic.

According to Lilly, the 15% drop in realized price was more than compensated by the 53% rise in global sales volume.

The disparity was considerably more noticeable outside of the United States.

Revenue increased 47% to $9.3 billion as volume jumped 76%, despite realized prices falling 29%, according to Lilly.

Mounjaro’s foreign sales reached $5.7 billion, a 93% increase.

The addition of Mounjaro to China’s National Reimbursement Drug List, which helps increase access but typically requires drugmakers to accept lower prices, contributed to part of the price decrease.

The pattern is important because it illustrates the potential evolution of Lilly’s opportunity.

It is not necessary for the business to charge the maximum amount to every patient.

To get access, begin therapy, and continue taking its medications, it needs a sufficient number of patients.

For someone who is having trouble paying for therapy, it is a much more relevant scenario.

Additionally, it could be a more effective business strategy for Lilly.

More money may be made from a less expensive medication that serves a much wider population than from a more expensive medication that is only accessible to a small number of patients.

Eli Lilly just showed why cheaper drugs can be bullishBloomberg / Getty Images

Eli Lilly’s weight-loss boom is getting even bigger

Wall Street’s response indicates that investors are beginning to think the technique is effective.

Lilly shares rose 7.5% Thursday to $1,389 after touching a record $1,408.34.

The rally potentially added about $80 billion to a company already worth roughly $1.2 trillion.

For a firm the size of Lilly, such a stock rise is impressive.

Examining management’s expectations makes the explanation more apparent.

From its initial range of $85 billion to $87 billion, Lilly increased its full-year sales expectation to between $91 billion and $92 billion.

That is a $5.5 billion increase in projected yearly income over the company’s initial projection at the halfway mark.

Additionally, Zepbound is not the only component of the company’s obesity business.

According to Reuters, Lilly has introduced Foundayo, its oral obesity therapy, and is still working on retatrutide, a next-generation injectable medication that, in midstage testing, resulted in an average weight reduction of around 24%.

This allows Lilly to reach individuals who may not want, be able to pay, or be eligible for the same therapy in a variety of ways.

Patients who are hesitant to utilize injections may find pills appealing.

Increased insurance coverage may attract individuals who were previously unable to pay for medical care.

Having enough medication readily available for everyone who needs it is another issue that has continually hampered the business and may be addressed by increasing production capacity.

To make it happen, Lilly is making significant investments.

The business is still growing its manufacturing operations in the United States, including initiatives in Virginia and Texas.

In the end, such factories are important to patients because the weight-loss boom won’t be fully widespread until pharmaceutical companies can produce enough dosages at costs that consumers or their insurance companies can afford.

Lilly’s biggest opportunity may be making weight loss less exclusive

There is still a major risk in Lilly’s strategy. Lower prices only work if additional volume is large enough to compensate. The latest quarter shows that happening. It doesn’t guarantee it will continue forever.

Additionally, competition is becoming fiercer. While several pharmaceutical firms are developing injectable and oral obesity therapies, Novo Nordisk continues to be a significant competitor.

Governments and insurers may have more power to drive down pricing when additional medications hit the market.

That may be excellent news for patients.

It increases the significance of scale for Lilly.

The business must continue to draw in new clients more quickly than falling costs reduce earnings.

So far, that equation is working. Third-quarter volume rose 53%. Revenue rose 39%. Zepbound sales rose 49%. Mounjaro sales rose 65%.

Additionally, Lilly increased its projected yearly income by billions of dollars while accepting lower actual pricing.

For this reason, the Medicare pilot’s 500,000 new patients could end up being more significant than Thursday’s record stock price.

For many years, the weight-loss drug boom was partially a tale of exclusivity and scarcity: although there were exceptional medications, many individuals who desired them were unable to afford them due to their high cost and lack of coverage.

The most recent data from Lilly suggests a different stage.

Each prescription may become less profitable if insurance, governments, and pharmaceutical companies are able to make obesity therapy accessible to a substantially wider audience.

However, the number of prescriptions might be far higher.

This implies that medications previously considered expensive specialist items may become more widely available to those struggling to pay for treatment.

It explains why declining prices do not always translate into declining earnings for Lilly investors.

Making weight-loss medications affordable for millions of Americans might be the largest potential.

Related: Goldman Sachs resets Eli Lilly 12-month stock price target before earnings

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Why we love this deal

A packed lunch rarely tastes as good as a recipe that’s hot off the stove. Heating leftovers in a microwave during your break can go a long way, but there’s a better solution for warm and tasty meals. An electric lunch warmer is like a mini slow cooker, with just enough room for a single meal. It heats leftover food slowly, making it taste more like a freshly cooked meal. Plug it in when you arrive at the office, and by lunchtime you’ll have a steaming bowl of grub ready to go. It also eliminates waiting in lines for the microwave, which can take away from your precious free time. 

I gave my mother, who works in an office, the Crock-Pot Electric Lunch Crock Food Warmer as a Christmas present a few years back, and she still uses it on a near-daily basis. If you want to try it out for yourself, or gift it to a loved one, now’s the time, as all three colors are on sale with half off, bringing the total cost to just $30. 

Crock-Pot Electric Lunch Crock Food Warmer, $30 (was $60) at Macy’s

Courtesy of Macy’s

Shop at Macy’s

Why do shoppers love it?

Crock-Pot has outdone itself with this upgrade on the standard lunchbox. The 20-ounce food warmer is no bigger than a traditional lunchbox, measuring 6.6 inches long, 6.6 inches wide, and 6.4 inches tall, so it will fit inside a larger work bag. Since it has a tight outer lid, you don’t have to worry about spilling soup or stew while you travel. The container also has a soft-touch exterior and rubberized coating, so it won’t get dented or clang around with other objects. The design also has a convenient handle built in, so you can also easily carry it around without a bag. 

Related: Walmart’s $52 ceramic nonstick skillet is on sale for $27

The 20-ounce size holds 2.5 cups’ worth of food, giving you just the right portion for a workday meal. Slow cookers, as the name implies, don’t instantly warm your food. They cook low and slow to evenly distribute the heat, so you’ll want to plug in the container at least an hour before you eat. While it requires being plugged into the wall, the electric cord is removable for improved portability and practicality. The inner storage container and lid are dishwasher safe, so after your day’s over, cleanup is also a breeze. One shopper explained their process: “I plug it in when I get to my desk. By lunchtime, I have a great lunch that tastes freshly cooked.”

Details to know 

Dimensions: The lunch warmer has a 6.6-inch diameter and stands 6.4 inches tall.

Power source: Outlet.

Capacity: Approximately 20 ounces.

Average shopper rating: 4.7 out of five stars.

Shoppers are obsessed with the convenience this Crock-Pot lunch warmer brings to their day. “I can put my leftovers in this, put the lid on, and take it to work without it spilling,” wrote one shopper. “Then it heats my lunch up perfectly and evenly.”

Shop more deals

Hamilton Beach Lunch ‘N Go Portable Food Warmer, $42 (was $60) at Macy’s

Chefman Family-Sized Glass Top Warming Tray, $90 (was $100) at Macy’s

Crock-Pot 7-Quart Cook & Carry Oval Slow Cooker, $99 (was $110) at Macy’s

For just $30, the Crock-Pot Electric Lunch Crock Food Warmer is an affordable way to upgrade meals at work or the office. This limited-time special ends this weekend, so don’t wait to snag it for yourself or a loved one.

Kroger is preparing to make some noticeable changes to its supermarkets, and shoppers may soon find fewer apparel and general merchandise aisles and more ready-to-eat meals as part of the strategy.

The grocery giant plans to open approximately 110 new stores by 2029, introducing three redesigned formats that prioritize fresh food, prepared meals and online grocery orders.

The changes mark a shift away from the one-stop shopping experience offered by some of Kroger’s larger stores. Those stores traditionally carried everything from groceries to clothing and household merchandise, and now that will change.

Kroger wants to make fresh food and convenient meal options the centerpiece of its supermarkets as shoppers increasingly look for ways to save time and money.

During its Investor Day last week on October 20, Kroger CEO Greg Foran outlined the company’s plan to become what he calls “America’s favorite grocer.”

“We are making value more visible and focusing resources closer to the customer where we see the highest returns,” Foran said. 

For shoppers, however, the biggest changes may come down to what they see, or rather no longer see, in grocery aisles.

Kroger’s new stores will change how shoppers buy groceries

Kroger’s redesigned stores will come in three sizes, each intended to serve different shopping needs and markets.

According to the company’s Investor Day presentation, the formats include:

99,000 square feet: A full-scale format designed for high-volume markets with strong customer demand.

75,000 square feet: A flexible format intended to serve a broader range of markets.

50,000 square feet: A smaller design that allows Kroger to expand into communities where a large store may not make sense.

Mary Ellen Adcock, Kroger’s executive vice president and chief merchant and marketing officer, said the redesigned locations will deliver a “food-first experience.”

This means expanding spaces dedicated to fresh produce, meat, seafood, ready-to-cook meals and Kroger’s own private-label products.

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At the same time, the company wants to reduce space allocated to general merchandise and apparel, categories it thinks are less important to its core grocery customers.

The new layouts will be a departure from some of Kroger’s larger Marketplace stores, which have usually emphasized a broader selection of nonfood merchandise.

Kroger is also planning to introduce the new designs in its existing stores by remodeling them––meaning the changes won’t be limited to newly opened supermarkets alone.

The timing is apt, given the broader shift in how Americans approach meals.

An October 2026 report by FMI The Food Industry Association found that 56% of households combine home-prepared food with food prepared outside the home for dinner at least once a week.

The study, which surveyed 1,480 U.S. grocery shoppers, also highlighted interest in:

Meal bundles – meaning complete meals

Heat-and-eat side dishes

Family-size prepared options.

Kroger is responding by planning to introduce more than 100 ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat meals over the next year. Its meal offerings are already available in more than 600 stores.

During the Investor Day presentation, Foran said Kroger already offers prepared meals priced at around $6 to $10, as well as $20 family meals and sushi platters.

The strategy positions Kroger to compete more directly with restaurants for customers looking for convenient dinner options without cooking from scratch.

Kroger to introduce 3 formats, opening 110 new stores by 2029.jetcityimage / Getty Images

Kroger to lower everyday prices and change grocery pickup

The new layouts aren’t Kroger’s only planned changes.

The company is also redesigning areas used to fulfill online grocery orders, with additional capacity for pickup and delivery services.

Kroger is investing in artificial intelligence, digital shelf labels and other technology to improve store operations.

Digital shelf labels are already installed in approximately 1,100 stores, with Kroger planning to expand their use to more than 2,400 locations by 2029.

But convenience alone may not be enough to win shoppers over.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, grocery prices rose 1.8% over the 12 months ending September 2026, while prices for meals away from home increased 3.5%.

With food costs continuing to rise, shoppers may need more than a convenient store layout to make Kroger their preferred grocery destination.

Kroger says it is also planning to invest $5 billion in customer value through 2029, including lowering everyday prices and simplifying promotions.

During the Investor Day presentation, Adcock acknowledged that some promotional offers had become unnecessarily complicated, requiring shoppers to navigate multiple prices and conditions to secure discounts.

The company plans to gradually shift some of its promotional spending in order to lower everyday shelf prices, both online and in stores.

Kroger isn’t eliminating coupons or promotions but wants customers to recognize savings without having to navigate as many complicated offers.

The retailer is also expanding its budget-focused Smart Way private-label brand, with plans to introduce 1,000 additional items over the next three years.

Early tests involving lower prices and simpler promotions have already produced encouraging results, the company says, with Kroger reporting increased customer visits and stronger sales at participating stores.

With shoppers increasingly choosing private labels over national brands, Kroger might benefit from adding to its existing private-label offerings.

However, those changes will take time to reach customers across its network.

Kroger expects to roll out its revised everyday-pricing approach at approximately 250 stores by the end of 2026 and around 700 stores by the end of 2027, with broader deployment planned for 2028 and 2029.

As for the 110 new stores, Kroger intends to prioritize markets where it sees growth opportunities, although it has not provided a complete list of locations or opening dates.

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When you think of the best time to buy a house, your mind probably jumps to spring and summer. Those are the typical home-buying seasons.

However, every housing market is different. Redfin and Home Economics analyzed housing market data and found that the holiday season (think early November to mid-December) is the best time of year to buy in seven major U.S. metro areas.

Redfin defines the “best” time to buy in these cities as the period when buyers have access to the most new listings, the greatest inventory, and the strongest deals.

Read more: Mortgage rates could still rise even after Fed holds rates steady

Three of the seven cities’ peak times are in early November: Riverside, Calif., Tampa, Fla., and Milwaukee.

The other four cities reach their peak buying windows in mid-December: Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and West Palm Beach, Fla.; and Detroit.

“There’s a tradeoff to shopping for a home late in the year: Buyers may have fewer fresh listings to choose from, but they also face less competition, and many sellers are ready to make a deal,” said Redfin Senior Economist Asad Khan.

Redfin reveals why the holidays are a good time to buy in Florida and California

Four of the seven cities are in Florida, and one is in California. Redfin research found that housing markets in warmer climates tend to experience less seasonal volatility. In other words, home-buying activity doesn’t fluctuate as dramatically throughout the year.

Riverside, Calif., has a warmer climate than many parts of the country. Riverside’s “cool season” — meaning the average daily high is below 72 degrees — begins Nov. 23, according to Weather Spark. House hunting in early November, while the weather is still comfortable, could be ideal for buyers.

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Redfin’s research also found that seasonal swings were smaller primarily in Florida cities.

“South Florida’s biggest wave of buyers–retirees and seasonal residents–often show up after the new year, when the weather is sunny and comfortable in Florida but cold in the Northeast,” wrote Redfin.

That seasonal influx of buyers could make the post-holiday period more competitive. Buyers who start looking in November or December may have an opportunity to negotiate with sellers before that additional demand arrives.

Why winter weather can give Midwest homebuyers an advantage

Personally, I was surprised that Milwaukee and Detroit topped the list for holiday home-buying. When I imagine myself in the Midwest during the holidays, I picture it being cold at best, waist-deep in snow at worst.

But that winter weather could be exactly what works to these two metro areas’ advantage.

“Those northern metros have a fairly short selling season: Cold-weather markets compress the window for touring and closing on homes; sellers keep at it later into fall, trying to close a deal before the depth of winter hits and buyers hibernate,” wrote Redfin.

Many sellers view late autumn as their last opportunity to sell before winter brings the housing market to a near standstill. This can give buyers more negotiating leverage, potentially allowing them to secure a better deal.

Redfin also noted that Milwaukee is one of only five sellers’ markets in the U.S. right now. That makes the early-November buying window particularly interesting for buyers who might otherwise face stiff competition in this market.

Redfin lists Milwaukee as one of the three major U.S. metro areas where the best time to buy a house is early November.halbergman / Getty Images

The best time to buy a house is when you’re ready

If you live in one of these seven metro areas and are ready to buy a house, you’re in luck. November or December could offer you some great opportunities.

However, don’t force anything if you aren’t ready to buy yet, whether because you can’t comfortably afford monthly mortgage payments or you don’t think you’ll stay in one house for at least several years.

And if you shop for a home and still don’t find a place you love, don’t force yourself into buying just because the data says it’s a good time to buy.

Trying to time the housing market is a lot like trying to time the stock market. You can study all the available data, but you can’t predict exactly how the market will behave or whether the perfect opportunity will come along.

Only buy a house when it makes sense for your family, finances, and lifestyle.

Related: Here’s the monthly payment on a $1 million house at today’s rates