Why expanding obesity care is good for employees—and business.

Obesity remains one of the few major chronic diseases without consistent insurance coverage across U.S. health plans. Even as new medicines transform treatment, approximately half of Americans with employer-sponsored insurance lack coverage for obesity management medications.¹ That isn’t just a coverage gap—it’s a missed opportunity to improve health outcomes, strengthen workforces, and reduce avoidable costs over time.

Annual obesity-related costs in the U.S. exceed $1.7 trillion, including $480 billion in direct medical costs and $1.24 trillion in lost productivity, nearly 7% of GDP.² However, evidence-based obesity treatment can help reduce cardiometabolic risks that can translate into costly complications. In fact, patients who remained on GLP-1 therapy for two consecutive years saw medical spending grow seven percentage points less than comparable patients not on treatment, outside the cost of the medication.³

A retention problem employers can solve

Data shows that one in five employees without coverage for an obesity management medication said they’d switch jobs to get it.⁴ To support employees, employers are seeking alternative options. A recent survey found 71% of employers are exploring or open to alternative access models for their members.⁵

At Lilly, we’ve spent the past several years building and testing ways to help close the access gap. We launched LillyDirect, a digital health care offering that can connect people with independent health care professionals, provides educational resources, and offers self-pay options that have helped hundreds of thousands who need treatment begin treatment.

Recently, we announced a historic agreement to help increase access to obesity management medicines through Medicare and Medicaid. We continue working to improve access through traditional coverage, but millions who could benefit from treatment are still waiting.

Consistent with broader industry moves, Lilly is building a new employer-focused model designed to expand access while giving plan sponsors more choice and flexibility. It has three core components:

• Flexible benefit design options to cover obesity management care. Companies vary in their workforces, budgets, and goals, and their benefit designs should, too. Employers should be empowered to design benefits for their unique workforces.
• A dedicated pharmacy network providing employers transparent solutions that will allow them to better understand and evaluate medicine costs for their health plan and employees.
• Customized, holistic obesity management programs through independent third parties. From virtual or in-person clinical care to behavior-change support, employers can pair coverage with services that fit their workforce needs. This keeps decisions where they belong: between patients and their health care professionals.

Treating obesity like the chronic disease it is requires an integrated approach: combining healthy habits with clinical care and, when appropriate, medicines to help people manage obesity. Employers are uniquely positioned to align these elements, remove friction, and deliver results at scale.

Employers helped normalize coverage for mental health and preventive care over the past two decades. Now they have an opportunity to lead again by modernizing benefits options and strengthening their position as an employer of choice, while supporting better health outcomes.

We plan to launch this new model in early 2026. Between now and then, we’ll be working with health care partners to refine implementation. Our goal is clear: help provide access to treatment for those who need it, and help employers provide effective, flexible coverage.

For employers competing for talent, coverage is increasingly a differentiator: people notice when an organization invests in their health. Obesity care is the next frontier in employer health benefits. Companies that act now will lead the way, closing coverage gaps and building healthier, more resilient workforces.

Lilly stands ready to help them do it.

Everyone, including those living with obesity, deserves a chance at health. To learn more or join the employer model with Lilly, please reach out to EmployerAccess@lilly.com.

1. International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. Pulse Survey: GLP-1 Drugs Coverage. Published 2024. Accessed November 5, 2025. https://www.ifebp.org/docs/default-source/pdf/resources---news/pulse-surveys/survey-glp-drugs-2024.pdf
2. Waters, H. R., & DeVol, R. (2018). America’s Obesity Crisis: The Health and Economic Impact of Excess Weight. Milken Institute.
3. Aon plc. (2025). Workforce-focused analysis on GLP-1s: Research findings and methodology. Aon. Accessed November 5, 2025. workforce-focused-analysis-on-glp-1s.pdf
4. 9amHealth. (2024). Trend Report 2024: Covering weight loss medications in 2024—what employers need to know. 9amHealth. 9amHealth-2024 Trend Report.pdf
5. Brown & Brown. (2025). State of GLP-1 Medication Coverage for Weight Loss: Employer Survey Results. Brown & Brown, Inc. State-of-GLP-1-Medication-Coverage-for-Weight-Loss-Employer-Survey-Results-Brown-Brown_WEB.pdf