Less than a fifth of large companies in the United States include coverage for the popular but pricey weight loss drugs Wegovy and Zepbound in their health insurance plans, according to a survey published Wednesday in Health Affairs. Among the large firms that do cover them, a third say the coverage has a “significant impact” on their plans' prescription drug spending. “Employers are really trying to thread the needle right now, ” said study author Matthew Rae, associate director for the program on the health care marketplace at KFF, a nonprofit group that researches health policy issues.
“They’re trying to figure out what is the right balance between the advantages to employees, potential health benefits and the cost of these drugs. And at this point, all of those things aren’t sorted out.” About 154 million people get health insurance through their jobs, according to KFF.
The survey, taken from January through July, included responses from more than 2,100 employers that have at least 200 workers and that offer health benefits. Half of the employers said they don’t cover the drugs, while almost a third — 31% — said they don’t know if they cover them; fewer than 1 in 5 said they do provide coverage. Rae said that when the researchers looked specifically at America’s largest firms — with 5,000 or more workers — those didn’t fare much better: More than a quarter said they do cover the drugs and almost two-thirds say they don’t.
Dr. Susan Spratt.
