Weight-Loss Benefit Management with SmithRx

Compassionate, rich benefits that leverage cutting-edge therapies don’t have to come at the expense of your budget. It’s been such a pleasure to work with like-minded organizations and clinicians to bring this (marketing piece) to life!

Need to build a sustainable weight management program but don't know where to start? You don't have to choose between access and affordability. Despite the financial strain GLP-1s can place on employer health budgets, with strategic plan design, obesity drugs can result in long-term savings and better employee health outcomes. Today, SmithRx is launching a best-in-class partner ecosystem designed to help employers access low-list-price GLP-1s and offer members the support they need to optimize and maintain their results. Through our curated partnerships with specialized obesity medicine and weight management providers, including 9amHealth, Calibrate, Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company, PBC, FlyteHealth, and Form Health, employers gain access to manufacturer-approved cash-pay pricing for GLP-1s. Our flexible, vendor-agnostic approach means programs are customizable to fit your unique needs, plan size, and budget. And through our transparent, 100% pass-through PBM model, those savings flow directly to you, with some employers already realizing up to 70% in cost savings. 💡 Ready to explore greater control and customization of your GLP-1 coverage? ➡️ Learn more about the SmithRx Weight Management Program: https://bit.ly/3QcfOms #ModernPBM #BenefitsLeaders #CHRO #HR #GLP1s #SmithRx

We're excited to be part of SmithRx's newly announced best-in-class partner ecosystem. We're helping employers improve access to affordable GLP-1s while giving members the clinical wraparound support they need to achieve and sustain results. Form Health is proud to play a role in making that happen. Check out the full announcement below. 👇 #ModernPBM #BenefitsLeaders #GLP1s #SmithRx

Everyone deserves access to the medications and services they need to support their health goals. Working at SmithRx has given me an inside look at the clinical side of GLP-1 treatment, and the takeaway I see across the board is that pairing GLP-1 treatment with tailored lifestyle strategies is key to long-term success. Proud to see SmithRx offering access to both low-list-price GLP-1 medication and personalized care coaching from obesity specialists, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, and dietitians to help people make the most of their efforts and reach their goals sustainably. Learn more about the SmithRx Weight Management Program's clinically-informed approach ⬇️

GLP-1 coverage has become one of the most challenging benefit decisions employers face today. Employees want access. Employers need cost predictability. And neither should have to come at the expense of quality care. That's why we're proud to be part of SmithRx's new partner ecosystem, bringing together transparent pharmacy benefits and specialized clinical care to help employers build more sustainable weight management programs. Want to learn more about this partnership? Reach out to the SmithRx or 9amHealth team.  Read the full press release below.  #EmployerHealth #GLP1 #BenefitsStrategy #DigitalHealth #PopulationHealth

Prescription drug trends are reshaping both family finances and workplace benefits. For family businesses, the effects can be significant—from rising health care costs to changing employee needs and the growing complexity of benefit decisions. Understanding how medication access, pharmacy practices, and emerging treatments influence workforce wellbeing can help business leaders better support their employees while managing long-term costs. For multigenerational family businesses, these trends affect not only the health of the workforce but the health of the business itself. #FamilyBusiness #WIFamilyBusiness

An update relevant to 1 in 8 American's: A year ago at the Midwest Business Group on Health annual gathering, I polled attendees on GLP-1 benefits coverage. An unscientific finding: Some covered, some planned to cover, some formerly covered. Seems the last group is on trend according to a new The Wall Street Journal article. As Bruce Japsen recently noted, 72% of employers/plans indicated that "discontinuation rates and weight regain where at least moderately influential in their GLP-1 coverage decisions." To counter this, some are adding coaching and other measures (weight trackers) to support successful weight loss. For companies able to withstand the short-term surge of cost due to GLP-1 coverage, a small light at the end of the tunnel: lower overall health costs. #weightloss #GLP1 #medicalbenefits https://lnkd.in/gxcz7Tir

Redefining GLP-1 Value in Employer-Sponsored Health Benefits (Part 4 of 6) Employers should reconsider their perspective on obesity treatment, as cognitive bias often distracts from evidence-based decision-making. By shifting the focus on goals and outcomes, we can move the discussion beyond mere weight management. This shift is crucial not only due to the substantial evidence supporting broader applications for cardiometabolic health but also because of the preconceived and misinformed biases surrounding obesity and weight management. Despite the widespread recognition of obesity as a chronic health condition within clinical and research circles, subjectivity still influences decision-making among employee benefits professionals, consultants, and organizational leaders. This subjectivity is often shaped by individual perceptions rather than empirical evidence. A historical example is the smoking cessation drug Chantix, which, despite its effectiveness, faced limited coverage by employers before the ACA mandate in 2014, as it was deemed a "lifestyle" drug. Similar perceptions affected other effective treatments, like Viagra and Nexium, which were also classified as "lifestyle" drugs. Tobacco dependence was often wrongly viewed as a matter of self-will, despite evidence showing it to be a complex biopsychosocial condition. This fallacy also extends to beliefs about obesity. While obesity is recognized as a chronic medical condition, the misconception that it can be resolved through self-will persists. This is reflected in the inconsistent coverage of GLP-1 RA treatments in employer-sponsored pharmacy plans, where diabetes treatments may have fewer limitations compared to weight loss indications, which often face higher co-pays or limited coverage. Continuing to categorize GLP-1 RAs solely as weight loss drugs, while focusing on percentage of weight lost, obscures the broader implications and perpetuates misinformed judgments. #glp1 #retatrutide #employeebenefits #pharmacy #obesity #tirzepatide #semaglutide #metabolicsyndrome #healthplan #pbm #lilly #workplacehealth #wellness #diseasemanagement #diabetes #heartdisease #healthoutcomes #strategy #roi #bioglutide #stigma #healthequity #cognitivebias

11.8% of US adults used a GLP-1 last year. 85% of people prescribed one for weight loss discontinue treatment within two years. Only 10% of large employers require any lifestyle or weight-management support during treatment. Those three numbers tell a story we should be paying attention to. GLP-1 medications work. The people I know who are on them are not making it up. The clinical evidence is real. But these are not magic shots. They are weight-loss tools that work best when they sit inside a broader plan for nutrition, movement, sleep, mental health, and the long, slow work of actually changing how someone lives. A plan with no support around it is a plan that ends the moment the prescription does. Most people regain weight when they stop. Most people stop. So we are paying for an expensive drug and forgetting the part that makes it work. If you are an employer covering GLP-1s and you are not also covering — or at least requiring participation in — a weight-management program, a registered dietitian, or a behavioral health benefit, you are paying for half a strategy. The lifestyle support is also where the real long-term savings live. We can keep arguing about the price of the drug. We could also start asking why we paid for the drug without the part that makes it meaningful.

The WSJ reported this week that 11% of large employers have dropped or plan to drop GLP-1 coverage for weight loss. Another 27% are adding new restrictions. I'm not surprised. And honestly? This was predictable. Covering the drug without covering the clinical support around it was never a sustainable strategy. It was a blank check. No behavior change infrastructure. No utilization management. No pathway to durable outcomes. Just spend, with very little to show for it. The employers pulling back aren't anti-GLP-1. They're anti-unmanaged GLP-1. And that's an important distinction. At Noom, we've been building toward a different model. When you pair clinician oversight, lab testing, and behavior change support with medication access from day one, something different happens: overall GLP-1 utilization drops by 46% compared to an unmanaged benefit, while outcomes improve. That's not a tradeoff. That's the point. Our GLP-1 Companion program, built into Noom Weight, gives members on GLP-1 medications structured guidance on protein, nutrition, habit-building, and the common challenges that derail results. Because the medication alone doesn't change behavior. The behavior is what makes the medication worth it. Since January, 97% of our enterprise go-lives incorporated one of our GLP-1 solutions. The conversation employers are having isn't whether to offer GLP-1 access anymore. It's how to do it without writing a blank check. https://lnkd.in/g54MEZVp