On Monday 10/16 Hennepin Healthcare (HHS) announced that their employee health insurance will no longer cover Wegovy, an FDA approved medication for the treatment of Obesity, starting in 2024. Employees on the medication will no longer be able to afford it without insurance coverage and will have to come off a medication that many were prescribed by HHS. This decision was made by Hennepin Healthcare’s Executive Leadership Team in order to save Hennepin Healthcare money. What medication you take should be a decision between you and your doctor, not a decision made by your employer or insurance. What medication might they decide not to cover next?

This decision is very short sighted and sets a dangerous precedent that insurance can stop covering medications that were previously approved. Wegovy helps prevent and sometimes even reverse costly medical conditions such as diabetes and hypertension and reduces the risk of major cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke by 20%. Many diabetics are being put on the same class of medications once they get diabetes. Why wait until someone gets diabetes to prescribe the same medication?? 
The savings on preventing and even reversing other costly health conditions is huge but Hennepin is only looking at saving themselves a quick buck today. 

About 600 employees and/or their family members are on Wegovy and many will get a job elsewhere so their meds remain covered, leading to worsened staffing issues as well as more spending on temps, overtime, and training new employees. It costs around $40,000 just to replace one nurse! This decision is not cost effective. 

In an impassioned email to our CEO Jennifer Decubellis and Chief Health Equity Officer Dr. Sederstrom I wrote:

”Deciding not to cover medications for the treatment of obesity while continuing to cover the same medications for the treatment of diabetes and other health conditions makes it clear that this is a deliberate choice not to cover the treatment of a specific medical condition, which is discriminatory, unethical, and harmful for everyone affected. Obesity disproportionately affects racial and ethnic minorities. Social determinants of health heavily influence weight.
Wegovy has been a life-changing medication for me and many others, leading to better physical and mental health. Having that benefit taken away is devastating and life-altering. 

In follow up emails I wrote, in part, “This is not a medication that is prescribed lightly. Many of us on Wegovy have other medical conditions that make losing weight more difficult. I have a family history of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and high cholesterol and am trying to do everything I can to avoid those conditions. I felt very hopeful that Wegovy could help me reach and maintain a healthy weight.

Since other health systems will continue to cover Wegovy I have to choose between staying in the job I love and sacrificing my health.

Thanks,

Maja Smedberg, MSW, LICSW”

*About Wegovy:

Wegovy mimics GLP-1, a gut hormone involved in blood glucose (sugar) control, appetite regulation, and digestion. It helps you regulate your appetite, feel full more easily, and can reduce cravings for unhealthy foods. It helps you eat healthier, which then causes weight loss.