“For Dr. Joseph Cacchione, the math on GLP-1 drugs stopped making sense. The C.E.O. of the Philadelphia-based nonprofit hospital system Jefferson said his organization now spends more on prescription drug coverage — fueled by the soaring use of weight loss medications like Wegovy and Zepbound — than it does on inpatient care,” Berkeley Lovelace Jr., Jessica Herzberg and Anne Thompson write over at NBC News. “Jefferson has dozens of hospitals across the region. It also has its own insurance plan for its 65,000 employees. A decade ago, prescription drugs made up about 14% of Jefferson’s insurance spending, Cacchione said. Last year, it was 40%. In 2025, Jefferson’s insurance arm reported a loss of about $180 million, about a third of which was driven by coverage of GLP-1’s, the CEO said. He was forced to lay off more than 600 employees as drug coverage ate up operating costs. This year, the insurance plan started requiring employees to go through diet and lifestyle programs before it would cover GLP-1 drugs for weight loss — a restriction Cacchione said has already saved Jefferson $20 million. ‘We understand the value of them, but they are putting a big stress on the system,’ he said. ‘The system wants to pay for them. We just can’t afford to pay for them right now.’” Berkeley Lovelace Jr., Jessica Herzberg and Anne Thompson, “This CEO wants to cover weight loss drugs for employees. They’re just too expensive,” NBC News
