Obesity rates continue to rise in the United States, now affecting nearly 42% of the adult population. GLP-1 medications have become a coveted solution for chronic weight management, but how do employers navigate the rising popularity of these medications?
With this in mind, we invited Beckie Fenrick, Pharm D from AlignRX Consulting to shed light on what employers need to know about the effects of GLP-1s in our recent Health Risk Management webinar.
Continue reading for a recap of Fenrick’s presentation.
According to Fenrick, obesity continues to increase in the United States due to several factors:
There are many health conditions associated with obesity, including:
According to Fenrick, because obesity often leads to additional health issues, obese team members cost employers about 2.7% more in health insurance costs than those who are not.
GLP-1 medications work by mimicking a naturally occurring substance in our bodies called Glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1). GLP-1s were initially approved solely to manage Type 2 Diabetes; however, more recently, a few GLP-1s have been approved by the FDA for chronic weight management.
Due to an uptick in direct-to-consumer advertising, celebrity testimonials, social media influencer promotions, recent studies, and updated diabetes treatment guidelines, GLP-1s are becoming increasingly popular for diabetes and weight loss treatment.
In fact, an encouraging new study found that the GLP-1 Wegovy cut the risk of cardiac death, heart attack, or stroke by 20% compared to the placebo. This positive data will substantially increase the demand for GLP-1 medications.
According to Fenrick, there are 10 GLP-1s available on the market today, three of which are approved by the FDA for weight loss: Wegovy, Saxenda, and Zepbound. The other seven GLP-1s, with the most well-known being Ozempic, are approved by the FDA for diabetes care only.
According to Fenrick, employers and plans shoulder a substantial portion of obesity-related expenses. A 2021 Kaiser Family Foundation analysis found the average annual health spending for enrollees with an onsite diagnosis was $12,588, compared to $4,699 for those with no obesity diagnosis.
If the decision is made to cover GLP-1s, Fenrick recommended keeping the following utilization management strategies in mind:
If the decision is made to offer GLP-1 medications, Fenrick recommends employers also offer lifestyle management programs to supplement the medication. This way, the employee is learning how to implement better health and lifestyle habits for when they are no longer taking the medication.
Fenrick also encouraged the following solutions to help balance costs:
This presentation was part of Captive Resources’ Medical Stop Loss Webinar Series — regular installments of webinars to educate medical stop loss group captive members. The thoughts and opinions expressed in these webinars are those of the presenters and do not necessarily reflect Captive Resources’ positions on any of the above topics.