Their ranks will rise given a vote Thursday<\/a> to end coverage of GLP-1s for weight loss by the Group Insurance Commission, which provides insurance to over 460,000 state employees, retirees, and relatives. MassHealth, the state\u2019s Medicaid program, could also make a similar move<\/a> in upcoming months. Overall, about 140,400 patients with obesity were prescribed the medications in 2024 in Massachusetts, the Globe has reported<\/a>. That class of medicines includes Zepbound, Wegovy, Ozempic, and Mounjaro.<\/p>\n With the end of insurance coverage, people who have spent decades trying to lose weight, including by undergoing surgery to shrink their stomachs, are scrounging for ways to afford to pay out-of-pocket for GLP-1s, or exercising and counting calories in the hopes of keeping the weight off without the drugs.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t take this medicine for the fun of it. I take it because I need it,\u201d said Michelle Markert, a 55-year-old interior designer in Newton who lost at least 35 pounds on GLP-1s before insurers ended the benefit.<\/p>\n Markert said she used to pay $80 for her monthly prescription under her plan with Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, which is owned by Point32Health. Now Markert, who switched to Blue Cross this year, will pay $500 a month out of pocket, the equivalent of a car payment.<\/p>\n \u201cThat $420 is going to have to come from somewhere else,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ll think twice about going out to eat or even going out to the movies.\u201d<\/p>\n Blue Cross, the state\u2019s largest insurer, said it has notified 25,670 members so far that they no longer qualify for GLP-1s for obesity. The second-largest insurer, Point32Health, has notified more than 15,000 of its members that they have lost eligibility. Both still cover GLP-1 drugs for diabetes.<\/p>\n Tierno, who has struggled with his weight since childhood, said the trend doesn\u2019t make sense given the costly long-term consequences of obesity. When he began taking Zepbound, he had high blood pressure and blood sugar levels classified as prediabetic. Now he doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, this has literally been a miracle drug,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was not just about weight loss for vanity. It truly was a health issue.\u201d<\/p>\n Doctors who treat people with obesity agree.<\/p>\n Dr. Paul Copeland, an endocrinologist and obesity medicine specialist at the Massachusetts General Hospital Weight Center, said GLP-1s have given many of his patients their first opportunity to improve their health and quality of life. Now, he spends much of his time trying to cobble together weight loss regimens with far less effective drugs.<\/p>\n Some of his patients who lost coverage have started to regain weight, he said. He worries they will suffer serious health consequences. A recent study<\/a> projected that people who stop taking GLP-1s would regain their lost weight within about 18 months.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are substantial dangers in having these medications pulled away from patients,\u201d said Copeland. \u201cNot only is there a rapid weight gain for most patients, but there is documented re-worsening of comorbidities such as cardiovascular risk factors.\u201d<\/p>\n The new insurance restrictions have fueled the use of direct-to-consumer programs such as NovoCare and LillyDirect, where prices range from $149 to $449 a month, depending on the drug and dosage. (Prices are similar on the new government website, TrumpRx.gov.)<\/p>\n Unfortunately, Copeland said, such programs are leading to a two-tier system that disadvantages those who can\u2019t afford those prices.<\/p>\n Insurers, for their part, blame the situation on the two pharmaceutical giants that dominate the GLP-1 market: Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk.<\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/HDLIWQSDYSOLTJZQOCDA3R4RVY.jpg\")
An injection pen of Zepbound is seen in Huntington, on May 6, 2025.CHRISTOPHER CAPOZZIELLO\/NYT<\/p>\n