In a survey of 80 health plan leaders published Aug. 1, all of the leaders responded they were concerned about the rising costs and utilization of GLP-1 drugs.
More payers are dropping coverage for the drugs or implementing stricter utilization policies, according to a previous survey from Found.
Here are seven strategies health plan leaders said their organizations use to contain GLP-1 drug costs:
- Provider education on therapeutic alternatives to GLP-1 drugs (59 percent)
- Targeted member communication to increase awareness of alternatives to the drugs (54 percent)
- Providing food as medicine programs and benefits (51 percent)
- Combination therapy, like adding a lifestyle program to GLP-1 drugs (43 percent)
- Step therapy prior authorization, requiring patients to try other options before being prescribed weight loss drugs (41 percent)
- Changing plan design to encourage alternative treatments (40 percent)
- Offering incentives like premium discounts and financial rewards to promote alternative treatments to GLP-1 drugs (39 percent)
See the full survey here.
