Short answer: GLP-1 medications (such as semaglutide) are among the fastest-growing costs in employer drug plans. In 2025 they made up more than 10% of all prescription-drug claims in employer plans, with list prices over $1,000 a month before rebates. Employers are deciding whether to cover them for weight loss and, if so, how to manage use.
GLP-1 drugs, first used for diabetes and now widely prescribed for weight loss, have become a major cost driver. A 2025 survey by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans found that GLP-1s used for weight loss made up more than 10% of all prescription-drug claims in employer health plans, and list prices run over $1,000 per month before rebates. Demand is broad across the workforce, and some employers have seen GLP-1 spending climb sharply year over year.
The central employer decision is coverage scope: cover GLP-1s only for diabetes, or also for weight loss? In 2025, about 19% of firms with 200 or more workers, and roughly 43% of those with 5,000 or more, covered them for weight loss. Many plans that do add guardrails such as prior authorization, step therapy, body-mass-index thresholds, and pairing the drug with a lifestyle program, to control cost while preserving access for those who benefit most.
Sources
SHRM, reporting International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP) data (GLP-1s for weight loss were about 10.5% of employers’ total annual drug claims in 2025, up from 8.9% in 2024): .
shrm.org/topics-tools/news/benefits-compensation/glp1-drugs-employers-annual-claims-may-2025Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker, employer perspectives on covering GLP-1 agonists for weight loss (coverage decisions, cost and management): .
healthsystemtracker.org/brief/perspectives-from-employers-on-the-costs-and-issues-associated-with-covering-glp-1-agonists-for-weight-lossKFF, 2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey (GLP-1 coverage rates): .
kff.org/health-costs/2025-employer-health-benefits-survey