Will employers still cover GLP-1s for weight loss?

GLP-1 medications have become one of the most expensive line items on employer health care budgets — and the bill is only getting bigger. A new survey from Business Group on Health finds that the vast majority of employers are already feeling the financial squeeze from covering these drugs, even as they remain under pressure to keep offering them to employees managing weight-related health conditions.

The findings, drawn from a survey of more than 100 employer members completed earlier this year, paint a picture of an industry caught between clinical promise and financial reality. Employers are deploying an array of strategies to manage who qualifies for coverage and how it's administered, all while bracing for what could be a turning point in 2027, when some companies may begin scaling back.

The report breaks down what employers are saying about GLP-1 coverage right now: how many currently offer it, what's driving the cost pressure, how an emerging oral version of the drug could reshape demand, and why executive leadership is increasingly involved in decisions that were once left to benefits teams alone. It's a snapshot of an industry still figuring out how to balance employee health needs against a price tag that shows no signs of leveling off.

Here are the key findings: