Will Ozempic Become The Hottest New Workplace Benefit?

Forbes ^ | May 09, 2025 | Caroline Castrillon

[nickcarraway]

As employee benefits evolve, a new contender has emerged, generating significant buzz in corporate America—coverage for weight-loss medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound. These GLP-1 agonists, originally developed for type 2 diabetes treatment but now widely sought after for their weight loss effects, are reshaping how employers think about health benefits and how employees evaluate job opportunities. Ozempic, a brand name for semaglutide, has become especially popular for its effectiveness in managing blood sugar levels and promoting weight loss.

With list prices hovering around $1,350 for a four-week supply of Wegovy, these GLP-1 agonists remain financially out of reach for many Americans without insurance coverage. For employees who want access to Ozempic or similar medications but don't have them, affordability remains a significant barrier, especially considering the potential long-term use required for managing type 2 diabetes or achieving sustainable weight loss.

This cost barrier is creating a new dynamic in the workplace, where employees increasingly look to their employers to bridge the financial gap. As demand for these medications continues to rise, they're rapidly becoming a differentiating factor as companies compete for top talent.

GLP-1 Meds: The Rising Demand for Ozempic and Others

According to a survey by 9amHealth, 54% of Americans either use or want to use a GLP-1 medication like Ozempic, a 6% increase from the previous year. More shockingly, 73% of employees consider GLP-1 coverage important for taking or staying at a job, and 31% would change jobs to gain coverage for these medications. When it comes to workplace perks, weight loss medications like Ozempic now rank among the top four benefits alongside healthcare coverage, flexible work, and company equity.

Employers Covering Ozempic: Short-Term Costs vs. Long-Term Benefits

For companies, the decision to cover GLP-1 medications like Ozempic

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TOPICS: Business/Economy; Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS: ozempic; weightloss

[Organic Panic]

Could just eat less.... It doesn’t cost $1300 a week either.

[Seruzawa]

Wait til you see the “side effects” a few years down the line.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

Could just eat less.... It doesn’t cost $1300 a week either.

It also doesn't work. America is the most obese nation in human history, and it hasn't been because people haven't been trying to eat less.

[foundedonpurpose]

And God forbid healthy food. Drop the cheese puffs.

[9YearLurker]

I wouldn’t want to take on that liability.

[pburgh01]

2022....285lbs at 5'9', sugar at 190, AC-1 terrible, on 4 BP meds, Insulin resistant, Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver disease with a 4 cm pocket of fat in my liver. My labs were awful, from my good cholesterol to liver function and aforementioned sugar issues. Irritable bowel issues. I was at a 42" waist and XXL shirts. Your basic calorie counting, white knuckle dieting, walking 5 times a week fat American.

Fast forwad after my doc put my on Monjourno....Today 155lbs, Size 28" waist, on no meds at all for anything, NAFDL gone, sugar at 90, AC-1 great, tons of energy, sex drive through the roof. My diet instantly improved as my cravings for sugar and carbs fell through the floor. No more IBS at all. My diet now lots of fresh fruits and veg, grass fed meat, organic chicken and pork, fish 3 times a week. No more food addiction. I eat to live. The GLP-1 helped my brain not trick my body into thinking it needs to eat crap.

[Myrddin]

Ozempic and similar products can cause blindness by damaging the blood supply to the optic nerve. It's a real difficult medication for a type 1 diabetic. The delayed gastric emptying cause position a diabetic with a severe glucose low in serious trouble. Orally consumed sugar will just sit in the stomach instead of moving out of the stomach where it can be absorbed. My wife battles this often during the night.

[Blurb2350]

Yes. If employers begin encouraging and subsidizing these meds, they can expect a raft of lawsuits down the line.

[Savage Beast]

Looks like the market would merely adjust. If the demand for GLP-1 is that great, manufacturers might find it profitable to produce more, lower the price, and sell more.

I remember a tabloid headline long ago: "New hope for fatties: plastic food." Well it seems that plastic food didn't work out but GLP-1 fulfilled the hope.

[Savage Beast]

That’s true. Some unfortunate souls cannot lose weight no matter how much discipline and self control they have. Obesity can be intractable just like everything else.

[Savage Beast]

I must admit I have been tempted to lift the potato chips out of a chubby person's grocery basket and wag my finger with a "No no no." So far I've resisted the urge. Maybe if all this GLP-1 works out, neither of us will have to resist our urges.

[Savage Beast]

That's great! It makes my day. Keep up the good work.

Miracles happen every day, many times every day.

Many hopeless disorders I dealt with in medical school and which broke my heart are now curable. I thank God every day and all through every day, for all these miracles--and more to come.

I am so happy for you. For all of us.

[Savage Beast]

"If employers begin encouraging and subsidizing these meds, they can expect a raft of lawsuits down the line."

But if they do it right, the profits will still outweigh the costs.

[Cowgirl of Justice]

Yep. People are going to be suffering from lifelong side effects that will probably make them wish they were dead.

[Cowgirl of Justice]

Wow! A friend of mine is on this! She was on ozempic but I begged her to go off of it - also sent her lots of info on the side effects and she switched.

[TheConservator]

Ozempic is so 2 years ago. Mounjaro/Zepbound is much more effective.

[maddog55]

Why in the hell would you post a common sense solution?
🤣🤣🤣

[Bruce Campbells Chin]

If it worked for you, great. I think a lot of people refuse to acknowledge that everyone’s body chemistry is different.

[Bruce Campbells Chin]

Yep. People are going to be suffering from lifelong side effects that will probably make them wish they were dead.

Although those side effects may be significantly less than the adverse health consequences of remaining overweight/obese.