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GLP-1 employer coverage stalls at 36% for a second year as workaround strategies spread

36% of employers now cover GLP-1 drugs for both diabetes and weight loss, a survey found, a reading flat from the same figure in 2025. The number had gained 2 percentage points year-over-year in the prior period, rising from 34% in 2024…

By Owen Gallagher·Jul 9, 2026·2 min read·markets

36% of employers now cover GLP-1 drugs for both diabetes and weight loss, a survey found, a reading flat from the same figure in 2025. The number had gained 2 percentage points year-over-year in the prior period, rising from 34% in 2024 before the current plateau. The same survey reports that many employers are finding ways around expanding coverage, language that points to deliberate plan design rather than budget inaction.

Two-year trajectory

From 2024 to 2025, dual GLP-1 coverage climbed 2 percentage points, from 34% to 36%. The current survey period shows no further gain. A 2-point annual move followed by zero: the prior-year change looks increasingly like a one-cycle adjustment rather than the start of a sustained adoption trend.

The 36% reading means 64% of surveyed employers still do not cover GLP-1 drugs for weight-loss indications as of the current period. That share moved a combined 2 points across the entire two-year window the source covers, and the current reading does not narrow it further.

The survey tracks employers that cover GLP-1s for both diabetes and weight loss as a combined category. Plans covering the drug class only for metabolic or diabetes indications, and excluding obesity as a qualifying condition, fall outside the 36%.

The workaround signal

The survey's framing on the non-expanding majority is specific. Employers are finding ways around coverage expansion, the source states, a phrase that distinguishes intentional benefit design from passive non-adoption. A plan structured to route around a drug category differs from one that simply has not added it yet, and the survey's language treats them as distinct.

The source does not describe what those workarounds look like at the plan level, and no breakdown by employer size, sector, or plan type is provided.

The 64% question

A benefit category that added 2 percentage points in one year and zero in the next is not on a clear adoption curve, at least not in the data the survey provides. The flat reading, combined with the reported rise in workaround strategies, suggests a portion of the 64% is not on a path toward dual GLP-1 coverage. How large that portion is, the survey does not say.

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Key takeaways

Frequently asked

What percentage of employers cover GLP-1 drugs for weight loss and diabetes?

36% of surveyed employers cover GLP-1 drugs for both diabetes and weight loss, a figure that stayed flat from 2025.

How has GLP-1 employer coverage changed over the past two years?

Dual coverage rose 2 percentage points from 34% in 2024 to 36% in 2025, then showed no further increase in the current period.

What does the survey mean by employer 'workarounds'?

The survey says many employers are finding ways around expanding coverage, language that points to intentional benefit design rather than passive non-adoption, though it does not describe what those workarounds look like.

Are plans that cover GLP-1s only for diabetes included in the 36%?

No, plans covering the drug class only for metabolic or diabetes indications and excluding obesity fall outside the 36% figure.

Does the survey say GLP-1 coverage is on a clear adoption trend?

No, a category that added 2 points in one year and zero the next is not on a clear adoption curve in the data provided, and the flat reading suggests part of the 64% is not moving toward coverage.