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GLP-1 Users Scramble to Afford Medication as Insurance Companies Drop or Restrict Coverage
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Key Takeaways
- Insurance companies are increasingly restricting coverage for GLP-1 medications, impacting patient access and affordability.
- Patients face high out-of-pocket costs, ranging from $499 to $1,000 monthly, leading to financial strain and lifestyle adjustments.
Users find themselves suddenly looking for an extra $500-a-month in their budgets.
GLP-1 injections can cost $500-a-month, if not more.
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People are being forced to make difficult decisions when it comes to GLP-1s.
The medications have taken the pharma world by storm over the past few years. For many people, the drugs have an appetite-suppressing effect, which allows them to take control of their diet in ways that they never were able to before. As a result, the medications have seen a surge of people losing significant amounts of weight, sometimes for the first time in their lives.
How are patients affording GLP-1s after insurance drops the medication?
However, recent developments are GLP-1 users in a difficult spot.
More and more insurance carriers are either not covering the medications or are making it more difficult for people that need GLP-1s for weight loss to get it.1 Previously, insurance carriers were pressured to add the medications to their plans. For example, employers were eager to offer healthcare coverage that included GLP-1s, as it made the jobs more attractive to employees.
GLP-1 medications are expensive, costing anywhere from $499-a-month to $1,000-a-month, if not more.
A new report from Reuters says that insurance companies are now being more restrictive of the drugs. Also, employers are now less concerned about making sure the drugs are covered under employee plans, and many are even adjusting plans to drop GLP-1 coverage. As a result, patients taking GLP-1s for weight loss are finding it necessary to pay for the drugs directly, at full price.
While GLP-1 makers, like Novo Nordisk, offer the drugs directly to patients through their own services, GLP-1s are still expensive even after the discounts are applied.
People using the drugs to control their weight find themselves in a difficult position. If their insurance stops covering the medication, the user has to choose to either make the expensive payments out-of-pocket or stop taking the medication. As is often the case, stopping a medication has consequences.
For GLP-1 users, going off the drug likely means they will experience a rebound effect. While the medication suppresses appetite, that effect stops when the drug is no longer being taken. Users then find their appetites returning to their pre-GLP-1 levels. They start eating more to satisfy their appetite and the weight they lost comes back. While they often don’t return to their original weight, patients have reported regaining about two-thirds of the weight lost.
Obviously, patients who start taking GLP-1s wish to continue taking them. Which means that when insurance stops covering it, the user suddenly finds themselves with an expense that costs them hundreds of dollars a month.
According to Reuters, this has resulted in many patients forgoing spending money in order to make up the difference. Some GLP-1 users have reported canceling vacations and other large expenses just so they can afford to stay medicated. Others report reducing their dosage to save money. While doctors don’t recommend reducing the dosage, some users report being to do so and still maintain their weight loss.
One user who spoke with Reuters told the news outlet that she stopped doing her nails and getting her hair done just to be able to stay on the medication.
While there are new GLP-1 medications in the works and likely to hit the market, prices remain high. As competition increases, costs could decrease. However, the medications are in high demand and it’s becoming clear that the people taking them need the medication in order to keep the weight off. If insurance carriers are restricting access, more people are going to find themselves finding ways to add a $500-a-month bill to their budget.
Source
- To stay on weight-loss drugs, US patients cut doses and maybe vacations. Reuters. August 13, 2025. https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/stay-weight-loss-drugs-us-patients-cut-doses-maybe-vacations-2025-08-13/
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