Some Employers Plan to Drop GLP-1 Weight-Loss Drug Coverage in 2027 While Most Large Employers Retain It

Some employers are planning to drop coverage of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss in 2027. Reuters reported the shift as more people take the medications, counteracting some savings from lower prices for Novo Nordisk’s and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound and Mounjaro.

About 10 percent of employers that currently cover GLP-1 drugs for weight loss said they planned to drop the drugs in 2027, according to the Business Group on Health, a policy research group for large employers.

Data from the same group show 67 percent of large employers cover GLP-1s in 2026. A second survey by benefits consultancy Mercer found that 5 percent of large employers—defined as those employing more than 500 people—plan to drop coverage in 2027. Mercer said 44 percent of companies with more than 500 employees cover the drugs for obesity.

U.K. has wiped about $1 billion off annual grocery spending, Bloomberg News reported. Households with at least one user of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs bought 299 million fewer food items in the year after starting the medication.

Users of the drugs report a dwindling number of cravings and are cutting back on treats such as chocolate and potato chips, according to a study from Worldpanel by Numerator. Use of the drugs has nearly tripled in two years.

Include at least one current user of GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro. 3 percent in 2024.