\n Weight loss drugs are proving to be super popular among many workers with job-based health insurance. But GLP-1 medications are busting their employers\u2019 budgets, leading some firms to rethink their coverage.\n <\/p>\n
\n The share of very large firms covering these drugs for obesity soared to 43% this year, up from 28% last year, according to KFF\u2019s latest annual Employer Health Benefits Survey<\/a>, which was released on Wednesday. These employers, who have more than 5,000 workers, are much more likely than their smaller counterparts to offer such a benefit.\n <\/p>\n \n Among firms with between 200 and 999 staffers, only 16% provide coverage of drugs for weight loss this year, the same as last year, according to KFF, a nonpartisan health policy research group.\n <\/p>\n \n GLP-1 drugs, which treat diabetes, obesity and certain other conditions, have been in great demand since they came on the market a few years ago because they help patients shed pounds. While employers typically cover the medications for diabetes, fewer of them do so for weight loss, in part because of the drugs\u2019 high prices \u2014 which have also limited Americans\u2019 access<\/a> to them. The list price of Wegovy, for instance, is about $1,350 for a month\u2019s supply, though discounts are available.\n <\/p>\n \n Employers, however, recognize that covering the medications for weight loss is a valuable benefit to attract and retain talented staffers. Notably, even among firms that don\u2019t do so, nearly half said the benefit is \u201cvery important\u201d or \u201cimportant\u201d for employee satisfaction. More than 36 million people with job-based insurance have a body mass index that would medically qualify them for a GLP-1 drug.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cLarge employers know these new high-priced weight-loss drugs are an important benefit for their workers, but their costs often exceed their expectations,\u201d Gary Claxton, KFF senior vice president, said in a statement. \u201cIt\u2019s not a surprise that some are rethinking access to the drugs for weight loss.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Costs are higher than forecast because more workers are taking advantage of the benefit, KFF found. Nearly 60% of large firms said usage of the medications for weight loss is higher than they predicted, while two-thirds of such employers said the impact on their prescription drug spending was \u201csignificant.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n One employer KFF surveyed found that it spent more on GLP-1 medications than any other drug this year, up from 32nd place last year.\n <\/p>\n \n A large retailer told KFF, \u201cBefore we knew it, we spent half a million dollars and we\u2019re projected to go up to $1.2 million the following year.\u201d\n <\/p>\n