Name: School districts nationwide drop weight-loss drug coverage
Uploaded: 2026-01-15T14:05:48.950Z
Duration: 2 min 28 s
Description: Employers nationwide are dropping GLP-1 weight-loss drug coverage as costs explode. One Maryland school district saw expenses jump from $485K to $3.6M in two years. Teachers like Christa Donnelly, who lost 4 pants sizes, now face losing life-changing medication. Two-thirds of large employers report significant cost impact.

Employers nationwide are dropping GLP-1 weight-loss drug coverage as costs explode. One Maryland school district saw expenses jump from $485K to $3.6M in two years. Teachers like Christa Donnelly, who lost 4 pants sizes, now face losing life-changing medication. Two-thirds of large employers report significant cost impact.

School districts across the United States are discontinuing insurance coverage for GLP-1 medications used for weight loss, citing rapidly increasing costs. In Howard County, Maryland, the public school system announced it will stop covering these drugs for weight management after March 2026, though coverage for diabetes treatment will continue.

A recent survey by the nonpartisan KFF group found that nearly two-thirds of large employers reported a significant impact on prescription drug costs from covering GLP-1 drugs. Despite federal efforts to lower medication prices, fewer than one in five large employers nationwide continue to cover GLP-1 medications for weight loss.

School districts nationwide drop weight-loss drug coverage

Many people have found success losing weight with GLP-1 medications, but the growing demand is driving up health care costs and now some employers say they can't afford to cover them. It's a cycle many people struggling with their weight know all too well. I've tried weight watchers, I've tried diet routines and going to the gym and everything. I'd lose some weight, plateau, lots of times put it back on, maybe lose a little more and then plateau. Krista Donnelly is a teacher in Howard County, Maryland, and no matter what she tried, the scale wouldn't move the way she hoped. So she talked to her doctor, her family, and started a GLP-1 medication last February. I've gone down four pant size, I feel so much better, I've got so much more energy, I'm able to move, I get down on the floor with students, I can get back up easily. It's not like, oh, that struggle, get back up off the floor. Plus her blood pressure is now in a healthy, normal range. For her, the medication has been life changing, which is why she wants Howard County Public School System to reverse their decision to stop covering it. They sent us an email stating that they would stop covering any medication as of the end of March of 2026. And what was your reaction when you saw that? Devastated. HCPSS says coverage for GLP-1 medications used to treat diabetes will continue, but coverage for weight management will end. In just two years, costs rose from about $485,000 over three months to more than $3.6 million. District leaders say without the change, employee premiums would have risen nearly 20%. Instead, employees are still facing a 13% increase. They'll cover blood pressure medication, they'll cover cholesterol medication, but they don't want to cover a GLP. And to me, that's a preventative medication. A recent survey by KFF, a nonpartisan health policy group, found employers across the country are struggling with the cost of covering GLP-1 weight loss drugs. Nearly two-thirds of large employers said covering GLP-1 drugs had a moderate or significant impact on their prescription drug costs. Federal officials have announced deals aimed at lowering the price of these medications, but it's unclear whether those savings will reach employers. I want to have that say, you know, I want people to look at medication as needed by the people and not just the bottom line. According to that KFF survey, fewer than one in five large employers nationwide cover GLP-1 medications for weight loss. Malarisa Foste, Scripps News Group.

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