Good morning. I know several people on GLP-1 drugs. Some transformed their health; one used it to shed 10 pounds that nobody thought she needed to lose. Such drugs have become the fastest-growing segment of drug spending, accounting for 10.5% of employers’ average pharmacy costs so far this year, vs. 8.9% in 2024. That’s up from 6.9% in 2023, when Americans spent $71.7 billion on such drugs. On average, employers pay between $8,000 and $10,000 per user each year for these drugs through healthcare plans.
I spoke with GoodRx CEO Wendy Barnes on the eve of the company’s announcement yesterday that it will offer various strengths of Ozempic and Wegovy for a cash price of $499 a month, which is roughly half the normal cost. Simple math would suggest that could be an attractive price for companies, too, which raises the question of how the growing list of consumer-focused healthcare offerings could impact the traditional employer-pay model.
“I would challenge the notion that all drug spend needs to flow through an insured model,” said Barnes. “We’re trying to get competitive pricing in the hands of every American.”
That argument resonates with Mark Bertolini, the former CEO of Aetna who’s now heading up Oscar Health, which is aiming for a more dynamic, personalized model of health insurance, not unlike what Progressive has done in other realms of insurance.
“In every other part of the economy, I get to buy the product I want at the price I want to pay, and I have an opportunity to shop and see what’s available,” he told me yesterday. “In healthcare, for the most part, employers pick a network that covers all their employees,” which can mean less choice and less satisfaction.
Bertolini calls this the “retailization” of health insurance, and GoodRx’s GLP-1 announcement could be emblematic of a more holistic system where employers encourage workers to pick from a broader menu of options. (John Hancock offers discounts on Prenuvo body scans, for example.)
Barnes, meanwhile, told me that GoodRx will be launching a subscription program around weight loss before the end of this year and she sees discount cash pricing as a complement to employer offerings that grow more restrictive in a bid to trim costs. And while moves in Washington have raised concerns about Americans’ healthcare coverage, Barnes sees opportunity in the government’s mandate to reduce drug prices and create more direct-to-patient pathways.
“Payers are not going anywhere but they will no longer have complete control over what you or I do from a benefit perspective,” said Barnes, who of course hopes more leaders will help employees get the best price they can for the drugs they need—and want.
Contact CEO Daily via Diane Brady at diane.brady@fortune.com
Top news
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Putin advises Trump on voting security
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Nasdaq plagued by meme stock pump-and-dumps
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OpenAI CEO admits to GPT-5 rollout mistakes
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reportedly admitted to reporters last week that the company “totally screwed up some things on the rollout” of its GPT-5 AI model earlier this month. He also noted the company will need to spend trillions on data centers to continue scaling the product.
Altman also says AI is in a “bubble” phase
In remarks at a recent dinner, he used the word “bubble” three times in 15 seconds, according to CNBC, and then said, “I’m sure someone’s gonna write some sensational headline about that. I wish you wouldn’t, but that’s fine.” he also said, “Are we in a phase where investors as a whole are overexcited about AI? My opinion is yes.”
Soho House goes private
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“Job-hugging” takes hold across the U.S.
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DOJ will give Congress more Epstein files on Friday
The agency is responding to a subpoena by the House Oversight Committee for all its records relating to the disgraced financier.
The markets
S&P 500 futures were marginally down 0.11% this morning, premarket, after the index closed flat yesterday near its record high. STOXX Europe 600 was up 0.13% in early trading. The U.K.’s FTSE 100 was flat in early trading. Japan’s Nikkei 225 was down 0.38% to hit another record high. China’s CSI 300 was down 0.38%. The South Korea KOSPI was down 0.81%. India’s Nifty 50 was up 0.37% before the end of the session. Bitcoin fell to $114.9K.
Around the watercooler
‘Quiet cracking’ is spreading in offices: Half of workers are at breaking point, and it’s costing companies $438 billion in productivity loss by Emma Burleigh and Orianna Rosa Royle
Ex-Google exec says degrees in law and medicine are a waste of time because they take so long to complete that AI will catch up by graduation by Preston Fore
Duolingo CEO admits his controversial AI memo ‘did not give enough context’ and insists the company never laid off full-time employees by Jessica Coacci
CEO Daily is compiled and edited by Joey Abrams and Jim Edwards.
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