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Will Ozempic Become The Hottest New Workplace Benefit?
Forbes ^ | May 09, 2025 | Caroline Castrillon

Posted on 05/09/2025 12:49:11 PM PDT by 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

(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...


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

Yes, it works. Search for non GMO and other processed food; you can find them. Eat ‘good’ fish, beef, protein, cut out all the trash and you will lose weight.


21 posted on 05/09/2025 2:56:41 PM PDT by choctaw man (Good ole Andrew Jackson, or You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma...)
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To: nickcarraway

Ozempic in use by people compromised by diabetes or overweight is one thing but a not well known drug that gets extremely popular for positive weight reduction (in a nation of fatties) as well as quite a few other things is going to start racking up victims even if it is relatively safe. And you can bet in the age of clicks it’s going to get reported endlessly. I heard Ozempic called a wonder drug by a very enthusiastic MD. We’ve all heard that before.


22 posted on 05/09/2025 2:58:47 PM PDT by TalBlack (Their god is government. Prepare for a religious war.)
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To: Savage Beast

“Maybe if all this GLP-1 works out, neither of us will have to resist our urges. “

One of the things I’ve heard about former fatties on these drugs is that when they go off them many of them gain the weight back.


23 posted on 05/09/2025 3:05:26 PM PDT by TalBlack (Their god is government. Prepare for a religious war.)
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To: TalBlack

A couple Freepers said they take it, and would be on it for the rest of their lives.


24 posted on 05/09/2025 3:23:13 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: All

If they’d just legalize meth and cocaine, there wouldn’t be an obesity problem.


25 posted on 05/09/2025 3:34:08 PM PDT by BipolarBob (AA told me to quit hanging around drunks. So I quit going to AA, cuz that's where they were.)
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To: Seruzawa

ROBE FOLLOWED BY SUING THE EMPLOYER FOR AGREEING TO PROVIDE THE DRUG....

GLAD I DO NOT HAVE EMPLOYEES

WOULD NEVER AGREE TO PAY FOR THIS


26 posted on 05/09/2025 4:19:35 PM PDT by ridesthemiles (not giving up on TRUMP---EVER)
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To: nickcarraway

Someone stops smoking in their late forties.

Good for them.

Then they gain 35 pounds which is not good but they are not exactly morbidly obese.

So then they take Ozempic.

What are the long term effects?

Who knows?

Time will tell, just as time has started to tell what the long term effects of the clot shot are.

But they may have been better off not giving up smoking.


27 posted on 05/09/2025 4:26:26 PM PDT by Biblebelter
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To: pburgh01

Congratulations. Does “no meds at all” Include the monjourno? Either way, you are much better off without all the extra pounds and problems. You must feel so much better.


28 posted on 05/09/2025 4:41:07 PM PDT by Freee-dame ( )
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To: choctaw man
Yes, it works. Search for non GMO and other processed food; you can find them. Eat ‘good’ fish, beef, protein, cut out all the trash and you will lose weight.

These are good thoughts, and if put into practice, yes - they will work. But most people can't put them into practice, so practically speaking they don't work. Ozempic and Mounjaro obviously do work.

I weigh 160 lbs - I don't need these drugs. But obviously many, many people do. I'm glad we finally have a real solution to the obesity epidemic in the US.
29 posted on 05/09/2025 4:49:00 PM PDT by AnotherUnixGeek
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