Section
Explainers
6 pages in this section, most recently updated September 4, 2026. Each opens with a plain-English summary and cites its sources.
01 · Explainers
FeaturedHow to check a prescriber licence in any state
You'll get: Get the prescriber's full name, then search the board for the state you were in during the visit, not the company's state.
The three searches that verify the person who signed a GLP-1 prescription: the state medical or nursing board lookup, the federal NPI Registry, and the disciplinary record. What each result means and what it does not.
Updated September 4, 2026
02 · Explainers
FeaturedHow telehealth prescribing works across state lines
You'll get: The state you are in during the visit sets the rules, not where the company or prescriber is based.
The patient's location sets the rules. What that means for licensure, the in-person exam question, out-of-state telehealth registrations, and why GLP-1s are simpler than controlled drugs. With the pattern our state cards follow.
Updated September 4, 202603 · Explainers
FeaturedThe Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, explained
You'll get: The compact is a faster route for doctors to get full licences in other member states. It is not one multistate licence.
What the IMLC is (an expedited path to full licences, not a multistate licence), which 44 states and DC participate as of the Commission's July 31, 2026 snapshot, which six do not, and what a compact licence means when you look a prescriber up.
Updated September 4, 202604 · Explainers
FeaturedMedicaid and obesity drugs: why coverage varies by state and changes with budgets
You'll get: Federal law lets states leave weight-loss drugs out of Medicaid, so coverage for obesity varies by state and budget.
The federal exclusion that lets states leave out weight-loss drugs, the 13 state programs KFF counted as covering GLP-1s for obesity in January 2026, the states that added or ended coverage in 2025 and 2026, and how to find out what your own program does today.
Updated September 4, 202605 · Explainers
How to read a state Medicaid preferred drug list
You'll get: A preferred drug list is the public document that turns a state's Medicaid policy into a yes or no at the pharmacy.
Where the PDL lives, the difference between preferred, non-preferred and not covered, what PA, QL, ST and age edits mean, how managed-care formularies relate to the state list, and a worked reading of a GLP-1 entry.
Updated September 4, 202606 · Explainers
Glossary: the terms on a state card
You'll get: Plain definitions of the licence, telehealth, Medicaid and compounding words on every state card.
Plain definitions of the licensing, telehealth, Medicaid and compounding terms used on this site's state cards and explainers, from 503A to state of principal licence.
Updated September 4, 2026