Navigating the GLP-1 Surge

GLP-1 drugs work, and demand for them is surging. In 2023 they made up about 7% of the average employer's total claims, and for some Garner clients they drove a third of the increase in medical trend. The harder question is how much of that spending actually helps anyone.

In this session, Nick Reber, Garner's founder and CEO, and Phil Salinger, Garner's Chief Data Officer, join moderator Brandon Young to walk through what Garner's claims data shows about who gets these drugs and what happens next. You'll hear why about two thirds of patients stop taking a GLP-1 within a year and lose most of the benefit, why the drugs don't quite pay for themselves even for patients with diabetes or heart disease, and how 70% of weight-management prescriptions in 2023 were wasteful, with most of that waste coming from about 30% of doctors. Nick also lays out what employers can do, from step therapy to guiding members toward doctors who prescribe carefully. The two close with audience questions on what insurers can do, whether doctors' prescribing patterns hold steady over time, and how fully insured employers can offer access with guardrails.

Covering GLP-1s for weight loss doesn't have to mean paying for the waste. This conversation shows where the cost really comes from and how to keep access open for the members who benefit.