CT state employees losing weight on medication, but costs top $35 million

Connecticut state employees are losing weight with the assistance of medications like Ozempic and Wegovy, according to data obtained through a health-tracking app required by the State of Connecticut for employees being treated with weight loss medication.

In July of 2023, the state began to require that employees seeking a GLP-1 prescription for weight loss medication enroll in Flyte , a medical weight loss program that combines medical professional and dietician oversight with an app called Evolve, created by Intellihealth, which connects users to medical professionals, monitors medication, and tracks the user’s weight and diet.

Over the first six months of Flyte program, participants saw an average weight reduction of 10 percent, and an average Body Mass Index (BMI) reduction of 8.8 percent, according to a presentation by the Healthcare Cost Containment Committee. Additionally, participants’ blood pressure decreased between 7 and 9.6 percent.

Although there were 1,248 participants in the Flyte program, and 2,390 unique medication prescriptions, only a small cohort of 182 had been in the program for six months and had enough data available for measurement.

The average weight of those beginning in the program was 229 pounds with a BMI of 37.16, which is considered Class II obesity. In order to be eligible for the program , a state insurance plan member must have a BMI over 30 or, if they have a weight-related condition like diabetes, a BMI of 27.

The most dramatic weight loss occurred when patients were prescribed Ozempic and similar drugs like Wegovy, classified as GLP-1 drugs. According to the results thus far, patients participating in the program with GLP-1 drugs saw more dramatic weight loss, dropping an average of 27 pounds, compared to 9 pounds for non-GLP-1 medication, and a 9.6 percent decrease in blood pressure, compared to a 4.08 percent decrease.

However, those GLP-1 drugs come at a higher cost, one that has been escalating dramatically since 2020, rising from $7.7 million in 2020 to $29.2 million in 2023, roughly 50 percent each year as the drugs gained in popularity.

The Comptroller’s office is projecting more spending on these weight loss drugs in 2024, estimating anywhere from $34 million to $40 million, upwards of 10 percent of the overall $390 million Connecticut spends on prescription drugs for 270,000 people covered under the state’s insurance, according to Office of the Comptroller Spokesperson Madi Csejka.

“Right now, we are starting to see a flattening of the cost curve since the implementation of the Flyte program relative to GLP-1s. Currently, we are on pace for $35 to $40 million in annual spend in this fiscal year,” Csejka said in an email. “While we are projecting an additional increase, we do not project another 50% increase in the spend as we have seen in each of the prior 3 years.”

But use of Flyte appears to be taking off. There are currently 3,963 members of the state employee health plan enrolled in Flyte with a primary clinical goal of losing weight. Meaning 100% of those individuals are seeking medication for weight loss.

While the short-term spending is certainly eye-catching, the Comptroller’s Office sees this program as an effective way to mitigate medium and long-term costs associated with diabetes treatments and obesity-related health issues but are too early in the program to offer any possible savings estimates.

“In addition to a flattening of the GLP-1 script growth for this population, we are looking for improvements in clinical outcomes for this population driven by clinically significant weight loss, which for higher risk members, will result in medium and long-term benefits for the plan and the members alike,” Csejka said. “One of the items we will be interested in analyzing as the program continues to mature is the extent to which it is attracting higher risk plan participants and strategizing around how to increase the utilization of the program by those at higher risk for complications related to obesity.”

The post CT state employees losing weight on medication, but costs top $35 million appeared first on Connecticut Inside Investigator .