Thousands of people in North Carolina are taking weight loss drugs, and until recently many of them were state employees with insurance. State treasurers say prescription volume is exploding, with data showing more than 24,000 state employees are currently prescribed these drugs, an increase of 773% in less than three years. It is said that there is.
“I’ve never seen a spending item explode as quickly as weight loss drugs,” said Dale Falwell, North Carolina state treasurer.
It was costing the state more than $14 million a month to cover the cost of GLP-1 drugs prescribed for weight loss. The decision to cut weight loss coverage will affect 24,000 state employees, according to the data. While that may seem like a lot, it only affects about 4.4% of all state employees.
Approximately 2,900 state employees living in Wake County are receiving these prescriptions for weight loss, and Wake County is also home to the largest number of state employees.
Wake County also has a lower than average obesity rate.
Data analysis by WRAL shows that weight loss drug prescribing habits do not match obesity rates. In other words, the counties most affected by obesity are not the ones where people are most likely to seek prescriptions for GLP-1 drugs.
Bladen County has the highest prescription rate. More than 10% of the state’s insured population takes GLP-1 to lose weight, and the state’s obesity rate, at 40%, is not the highest. Robson, where 44% of residents are obese according to health data, is in the top five for number of prescriptions.
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In fact, while Martin County’s obesity rate is the same as the state at 34%, more than 8% of people with state insurance are taking these medications, which is significantly different from the state average.
Medical experts say the drug could have a positive effect on weight loss, leading to lower health care costs in the future, since obesity is associated with other problems such as heart disease and diabetes. However, Falwell says this calculation doesn’t add up.
“This whole cost-benefit analysis is something we continue to look at,” Falwell said. “The payoff is long-term, and once people go to get this drug prescribed, we have to pay for it right away. That’s why our state’s health care plan is financially strained. situation.”
