The availability of an effective new class of medications to treat obesity raises a weighty question for employers. How do they balance promoting wellbeing in the workplace and potentially reducing insurance premiums with the prohibitively high cost of the new drugs?

Workplace obesity takes a financial toll on employers, from reduced productivity and increased absenteeism to serious health problems that can trigger higher insurance premiums. Twenty-two percent of U.S. employers now cover prescription drugs for weight loss, 45% pay for bariatric surgery and one-third offer some form of weight management program, according to the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans.

GLP-1s such as Ozempic and Wegovy are a class of medications that have been used to treat diabetes and now are being used to treat obesity and excess weight. Consumers' experiences with GLP-1s are varied, with some eagerly awaiting a prescription for the touted "miracle weight-loss drug" and others unable or unwilling to begin weekly, and sometimes daily, injections costing upwards of $1,600 a month.