{"id":338804,"date":"2025-12-09T10:56:20","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T10:56:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/338804\/"},"modified":"2025-12-09T10:56:20","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T10:56:20","slug":"health-insurer-prescription-costs-rise-20-glp-1s-cited-as-cause","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/338804\/","title":{"rendered":"Health insurer prescription costs rise 20%, GLP-1s cited as cause"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bob Herman covers health insurance, government programs, hospitals, physicians, and other providers \u2014 reporting on how money influences those businesses and shapes what we all pay for care. He is also the author of the Health Care Inc. newsletter<\/a>. You can reach Bob on Signal at bobjherman.09.<\/p>\n

Health insurance companies have lamented fast-rising medical expenses for more than two years<\/a>. This year is no different as Americans continue to get more care<\/a> than insurers expected.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One of the main culprits of that higher spending: prescription drugs, and GLP-1s in particular.<\/p>\n

Some insurers spent more on drugs in the first nine months of this year than they did in all of 2024, financial documents analyzed by STAT show. For many, drug expenses are up more than 20% in 2025. The proliferation of GLP-1s<\/a> \u2014 the injectable drug blockbusters that lead to substantial weight loss \u2014 has played a leading role and has led insurers and employers to consider whether they should stop covering them completely.<\/p>\n

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