An upswing in the use of GLP-1 drugs has had a notable impact on the higher growth of pharmacy benefit costs under such health insurance plans, Mercer said.
GLP-1 drugs, which work by suppressing hunger and making a person feel full longer, are typically priced around $1,000 per patient per month.
While employers cover the use of GLP-1 drugs as a treatment for diabetes, the debate around providing coverage for them as an obesity treatment lingers.
"It may take another couple of years for price increases stemming from higher healthcare sector wages and medical supply costs to be felt across all health plans."
Despite rising health-plan costs, large employers have avoided shifting additional costs to employees through higher deductibles, co-pays, or out-of-pocket maximums in 2023.
Persons:
Victoria Klesty, Mercer, Health Actuary, Sunit Patel, Eli Lilly's, Patel, Beth Umland, Khushi Mandowara, Leroy Leo, Pooja Desai
Organizations:
REUTERS, U.S . Food, Drug, Health, Reuters, Novo Nordisk's, Mercer, Thomson
Locations:
Oslo, Norway, August31, Victoria, United States, Bengaluru