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School districts nationwide drop weight-loss drug coverage as costs explode

GLP-1 medication costs force difficult decisions as employers struggle to balance health benefits with budget constraints.

Employers nationwide are dropping GLP-1 weight-loss drug coverage as costs explode. One Maryland school district saw expenses jump from $485K to $3.6M in two years. Teachers like Christa Donnelly, who lost 4 pants sizes, now face losing life-changing medication. Two-thirds of large employers report significant cost impact.

School districts nationwide drop weight-loss drug coverage as costs explode

Third-grade teacher Christa Donnelly's weight loss

By: Mallory Sofastaii

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The cycle is familiar to millions of Americans struggling with their weight. Third-grade teacher Christa Donnelly tried everything, including Weight Watchers, diet routines, and gym memberships. Nothing worked long-term.

"I'd lose some weight, plateau, lots of times, put it back on, maybe lose a little more and then plateau," Donnelly said.

Last February, the Maryland teacher started taking a GLP-1 medication after consulting with her doctor and family. The results have been dramatic.

"I've gone down 4 pants sizes. I feel so much better, you know, I've got so much more energy," Donnelly said. "I'm able to move, you know, I get down on the floor as students, I can get back up easily."

Her blood pressure is now in a healthy, normal range. But Donnelly's success story highlights a growing national crisis: employers can no longer afford to cover these life-changing medications.

Howard County Public School System in Maryland recently announced it will stop covering GLP-1 medications for weight management after costs skyrocketed from $485,000 over three months to more than $3.6 million in just two years.

"They sent us an email stating that they would stop covering any medication as of the end of March of 2026," Donnelly said. "I was devastated. I had absolutely planned on staying on the medication. I still have about the other 30 or 40 pounds I want to lose."

The Maryland district's decision reflects a nationwide trend. A recent survey by KFF, a nonpartisan health policy group, found employers across the country are struggling with the explosive cost of covering GLP-1 weight-loss drugs.

Nearly two-thirds of large employers said covering GLP-1 drugs had a moderate or significant impact on their prescription drug costs. Many are being forced to choose between maintaining coverage and keeping employee premiums affordable.

In Howard County, district leaders say without dropping weight-loss drug coverage, employee premiums would have risen nearly 20 percent. Even with the change, employees still face a 13 percent increase.

The school system will continue covering GLP-1 medications for diabetes treatment, but weight management coverage ends next year.

"They'll cover blood pressure medication. They'll cover cholesterol medication, but they don't want to cover a GLP, and to me that's a preventative medication," Donnelly said.

Federal officials have announced deals aimed at lowering the price of GLP-1 medications, but it's unclear whether those savings will reach employers or when relief might come.

For now, employees like Donnelly are caught in the middle of a healthcare cost crisis that's forcing impossible choices between health and financial stability.

"I want people to look at medication and as needed by the people and not just the bottom line," Donnelly said.