Overview
- Cigna told employees that its Group Medical Plan will stop covering GLP-1 weight-loss drugs effective July 1 and set a June 30 cutoff for refills.
- The insurer directed affected workers to pay cash through manufacturer sites or programs like TrumpRx and said those purchases will not count toward plan deductibles or out-of-pocket totals.
- Employees with prior approvals will be offered older, generic appetite-suppressant drugs such as phentermine and diethylpropion, which clinical reports say are less effective than GLP-1s.
- GLP-1 medicines work by mimicking a gut hormone that reduces appetite and typically require ongoing use to maintain weight loss, so treatment interruptions risk weight regain for patients who stop therapy.
- The move reflects a wider employer trend to limit GLP-1 access as new oral options and lower list prices expand a cash market and prompt insurers and PBMs to recalibrate benefits.