Transformative Therapies

Despite the recent promising rise in GLP-1 medications to treat obesity, they currently show limited population-level impact to reduce the overall burden of obesity and related comorbidities due to their high cost. Moreover, concerns about medication adherence, long-term effectiveness, lack of broad insurance coverage, and poor uptake and understanding of digitally enabled patient engagement programs to support GLP-1 use, have also been barriers to realizing the full potential impact of these medications. The future of obesity management is here, but most Medicare beneficiaries lack access to it and those that are eligible still face barriers to uptake. 

Expanding coverage for these interventions and other wrap-around services could significantly increase federal costs due to the large number of eligible individuals. A framework and new payment approach is needed to increase access to GLP-1 medications as a key component of a broader, integrated approach to obesity treatment while maintaining financial viability and incentives.