Employers drop GLP-1 coverage as Walgreens sells $49 visits
Also in this issue: Counsel Health prices GLP-1 care at $25 a month
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Take. More GLP-1 patients will pay cash next year. A national pharmacy chain now sells the visit for $49. We think a clinic membership now has to give patients something a $49 visit doesn't, like faster answers and ongoing follow-up.
A WTW benefits survey found that 53% of employers with more than 100 workers cover GLP-1s for weight loss, down from 57% in 2025, per CNBC on Tuesday. That's the first drop in three years. Another 16% cover the drugs but are considering dropping them, up from 9%. WTW releases the full survey today. Seth Friedman of the broker Gallagher told CNBC he estimates 20% to 30% of the firm's clients have dropped coverage for 2027. Those employers are sending workers to buy direct from Lilly and Novo. Coverage typically costs an employer in the mid-$500s to mid-$600s per user a month.
Walgreens moved the same day. Its release says a doctor or nurse practitioner can see patients online for $49 a visit, with no subscription. Medication costs extra. Walgreens will check insurance coverage, file prior authorizations and help eligible Medicare patients with CMS's GLP-1 Bridge program. Pharmacists will call every patient who starts filling a GLP-1. The service runs in every state except Alabama.
WTW's Jeff Levin-Scherz told CNBC that "many people will choose to pay for this on their own even if it's not covered by the plan."
Money
The Wellness Group agrees to buy Florida compounder Skip's Pharmacy
The Wellness Group runs telemedicine, pharmacy and fulfillment on one platform. It signed a definitive agreement to buy Skip's Pharmacy, a sterile compounding pharmacy in Deerfield Beach, Fla., per TWG's release on Monday. TWG calls it its second pharmacy purchase in 12 months and part of a plan to invest up to $250 million. CEO Foster Coulson said it "won't be our last." TWG didn't disclose the price. Florida's Board of Pharmacy still has to approve the change of ownership.
Telehealth companies with in-house pharmacies can cut the price of the drug. Clinics buying from an independent compounder compete against that margin.
The Signal
Telehealth
Counsel Health sells GLP-1 care through LillyDirect for $25 a month
Counsel Health calls itself an "AI-native primary care company." Its AI handles check-ins and questions between physician visits, which Counsel says keeps its costs low. On Tuesday it launched a weight program sold on its own site and through LillyDirect, Lilly's direct-to-consumer pharmacy, per Counsel's newsroom. Members pay $300 a year for unlimited physician access, which Counsel equates to $25 a month. Patients can pay $29 a visit instead. Counsel physicians can prescribe Wegovy, Zepbound or Foundayo when they judge it appropriate. The program runs in the 44 states where Counsel operates. Counsel pitches it on retention. It says only 32% of GLP-1 users are still on therapy after one year. Clinics that sell follow-up now have a Lilly partner pricing it at $25 a month.
503A/503B
White House log lists five meetings on FDA's peptide plan
FDA's notice-stage Interim Access Policy for compounding certain peptides is under review at OIRA, the White House office that reviews agency actions. OIRA's meeting log now shows five meetings, down from six on Monday. A Wednesday 3 p.m. slot for the Collaborative for Evidence-Based Medicines no longer appears. The log doesn't say why. The Alliance for Pharmacy Compounding was listed for Tuesday at 2 p.m. CSPI, a consumer safety group, followed at 2:30. OIRA had posted no materials from either meeting by late Tuesday afternoon. Carmen Group meets OIRA for Medivant, a 503B outsourcing facility, today at 3:30 p.m.
Patient Demand
Survey finds 73% of GLP-1 prescribers correct misinformation weekly
Tebra, which sells practice software, surveyed 374 providers who prescribe or manage GLP-1s, per Medscape. 73% of them correct GLP-1 misinformation at least once a week. TikTok was the top source, named by 59%. Providers report 8.7 hours a week of GLP-1 admin work. Clinics paying clinicians to repeat the same corrections can put those answers in intake videos and emails.
Marketing
Meta updates its advertiser terms Nov. 20
Meta's updated Commercial Terms take effect Friday, Nov. 20. Advertisers still may not send Meta health information.
Wire
- Microsoft's healthcare ad policy now requires every pharmacy, health care and wellness ad to target users 18 and older, according to ad vendors Curve Compliance and MedScale.
- Dates we're watching: WTW releases its full benefits survey today, Oct. 28. Carmen Group meets OIRA for Medivant on the peptide plan today at 3:30 p.m. Lilly reports third-quarter results Thursday, Oct. 29, with a 10 a.m. ET call. Meta's new advertiser terms take effect Friday, Nov. 20. DEA's telemedicine flexibilities end Dec. 31 unless DEA extends or replaces them. OIRA's 90-day review mark on the peptide plan falls around Jan. 12.
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Optimized Daily Report is business news for clinic operators. Not medical, legal, or investment advice. Company claims are the company's.