GLP-1 medications: effective and expensive

Insurers are keen to control their costs and in theory, cost savings that insurers achieve are passed on to their customers. Understandably, however, such cost savings could interfere with quality of care and KFF Health News published an article explaining one example of such tension. In the case of the popular weight loss drugs known as GLP-1, the medications have proven effective at causing temporary, but not permanent, weight loss. As a result, patients need to continue the medication regimen, or likely regain weight. Unfortunately, GLP-1 is expensive ("list prices of roughly $1,000 a month") and insurers are considering ways of "deprescribing" the class of drugs. Many insurers seem to be limiting the duration that patients can take such drugs if the purpose is only for weight loss. There are vendors who sell programs to help maintain the weight loss, but it is unclear how popular those programs are among insurers.

This class of drugs poses an interesting policy question because they have proven so effective for temporary effects for a popular condition and are also so expensive. Previously, obesity has been thought of primarily as a behavioral issue, making it easier for society to blame overweight patients. Sentiment about obesity seems to have more recently shifted towards thinking of it as having deeper roots that warrant treatment. However, if those deeper roots cannot be effectively treated with the current state of medicine, should GLP-1 coverage continue indefinitely for patients who want it, raising the premiums for everybody?