Ascension Health Drops Employee Health Plan Coverage Of Weight Loss Drugs

Effective July 1, 2023, the Ascension Health employee health plan stopped covering weight loss drugs. The coverage exclusion applies to drugs approved for weight loss by the FDA, such as the GLP-1 medications Wegovy and Saxenda, as well as other medication classes approved for this purpose. The exclusion will apply to such drugs that may gain FDA approval in the future.

Ascension employs about 139,000 people and operates 139 hospitals in 19 states. Ascension has had a negative operating margin for the past two years. For the nine-months that ended March 31, 2023, the organization had an . . .