> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.richmonder.org/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Nearly 8% of Chesterfield employees are on Ozempic-style drugs. The county says they prevent costlier issues later - URL: https://www.richmonder.org/nearly-8-of-chesterfield-employees-are-on-ozempic-style-drugs-the-county-says-they-prevent-costlier-issues-later/ - Published: 2026-09-03T19:18:18.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-03T21:19:15.000Z - Description: This year is especially challenging, with premium prices nationwide climbing nearly 22% between 2025 and 2026. - Author: Eleanor Shaw - Tags: Chesterfield County, #the-bridge With increased use of GLP-1 medications and climbing insurance rates putting pressure on employers nationwide, Chesterfield County is betting that covering the costly drugs now could help prevent even costlier health problems later. GLP-1s are commonly known by the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy. The FDA originally approved GLP-1s as a medication for type 2 diabetes. [Their use has expanded](https://www.forbes.com/health/weight-loss/glp-1-statistics/#:~:text=%E2%80%A2%20About%2012%25%20of%20U.S.%20adults%20report%20using%20GLP%2D1%20medications%20for%20weight%20loss) into treating cardiovascular problems, kidney disease, sleep apnea and, most infamously, weight loss. [Between 2019 and 2024](https://www.fairhealth.org/press-release/use-of-glp-1-drugs-to-treat-overweight-or-obesity-increased-587-percent-from-2019-to-2024-according-to-new-fair-health-study), GLP-1 prescriptions for obesity increased nearly 600%. Deputy County Administrator of Finance and Administration Matt Harris and the county are in the midst of approving the specifics of their employees’ insurance coverage for 2027, and it’ll go up to the Board of Supervisors for a final vote sometime in the next few months. This year is especially challenging, [with premium prices](https://www.urban.org/research/publication/understanding-extraordinary-increase-aca-premiums-2026#:~:text=We%20show%20that%20the%20extraordinary%2021.7%20percent%20premium%20growth%20between%202025%20and%202026%20was%20in%20sharp%20contrast%20to%20the%20average%202.0%20percent%20growth%20between%202020%20and%202025.) nationwide climbing nearly 22% between 2025 and 2026. “It’s a national trend; it’s not a Chesterfield thing,” Harris said. “Public, private employers, it doesn’t matter. Everybody’s wrestling with this topic.” Since it’s a self-funded operation, the county decides what its plan will and won’t cover. Both government and school employees use Chesterfield’s insurance, and, as of the beginning of September, the county’s insurance plan covers 20,600 people. Eight percent, or about 1,650, are prescribed GLP-1s. These drugs have only been included in the county’s offerings during the past couple of years. In Chesterfield, users of the county’s plan need to get physician authorization for GLP-1 coverage. For comparison, Henrico’s self-financed plan also includes GLP-1s, but only after meeting “specific clinical criteria,” a spokesperson wrote to The Richmonder. A patient’s type 2 diabetes treatment would be covered, but not someone seeking weight management. Richmond's plan is similar to Henrico, with coverage only for diabetes. During Chesterfield’s [Audit and Finance Committee meeting](https://chesterfieldcova.portal.civicclerk.com/event/3103/files/agenda/5236) on Aug. 26, Matoaca Supervisor Kevin Carroll mentioned the county’s GLP-1 benefits. Others in attendance — specifically school board members Steven Paranto and Lisa Hudgins — asked: Are these prescriptions impacting premiums? GLP-1 drugs demand a hefty price tag (a dose of Wegovy [has a list price of well over $1,000](https://www.novopricing.com/wegovy.html) without insurance). In a Wednesday interview, Harris said the cost has increased while the county has covered it, but not more significantly than other drugs. “Drug costs just continue to go up across the board,” Harris said, adding that the price of GLP-1s hasn’t significantly increased the overall cost for insuring county employees. “It’s tied to a wide array of forces. I don’t want to give the sense that GLP-1s are the primary driver. “We would like to continue to include them as part of our offering. It’s been well received by the workforce. Even though maybe calendar year ‘27 has a more challenging renewal, I think long-term it still holds that possibility of helping people avoid those chronic conditions which could be so costly.” Seth Friedman is a pharmacy and health plan services leader at Gallagher, an insurance consultant. He agrees that GLP-1s, while expensive, aren’t to blame for premium price hikes. “Growing GLP-1 use is adding meaningful pressure to pharmacy costs and ultimately to the total amount that must be financed through employer and employee premium contributions,” Friedman wrote in an email to The Richmonder. “However, it would be misleading to attribute an entire premium increase to GLP-1 medications because hospital costs, provider prices, specialty drugs and broader medical utilization also affect premiums.” It’s been a balancing act to maintain a competitive premium while also not placing an unnecessary burden on taxpayers, Harris said. GLP-1s were first integrated before their weight-loss associations. With this, the county hopes to keep covering GLP-1s under certain circumstances because of the wide-reaching benefits they promise. “The thought process was we were seeing a lot of chronic conditions tied to diabetes and other related illnesses, so we really set out just on that sort of simple basis of trying to curtail some of those things in the early stages,” Harris said. The decision was effective from a cost perspective, too. Harris added that GLP-1s could prune what could’ve developed into expensive long-term issues. This isn’t an uncommon practice. Friedman has found that overall insurance coverage for GLP-1s is common when prescribed for diabetes, but there’s a lot of variation between different governments. “Federal employee plans have a coverage pathway for obesity treatment, while state and local plans make their own decisions,” Friedman said. “In 2025, at least 15 states included anti-obesity medications in their state employee plans, frequently with strict prior-authorization and eligibility requirements.” It’s not like public employees’ plans are stricter than their private-sector counterparts. Friedman said both generally cover GLP-1s more often for diabetes than obesity. These plans can include guardrails that prevent using GLP-1s specifically for weight loss. “Plans commonly distinguish among FDA-approved indications and require diagnosis-specific prior authorization,” Friedman’s email reads. “The exact level of discretion depends on whether the plan is self-funded, fully insured or part of a government program, as well as applicable federal and state requirements.” *Contact Eleanor Shaw at* [*eshaw@richmonder.org*](mailto:eshaw@richmonder.org)*. She is a Report for America corps member. This article has been updated with information on Richmond's policy that arrived after initial publication.*