The New Reality: Obesity Is Reshaping Employer Health Costs

Obesity has become one of the most significant — and fastest-growing — drivers of employer healthcare costs. Its impact reaches far beyond weight alone, accelerating rates of diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, MSK pain, and mental health challenges. As obesity-related claims surge, employers are urgently seeking solutions, and non-GLP-1 wellness alternatives for TPAs are becoming a central part of the conversation.

Over the past two years, that conversation has intensified. The rise of GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy, Ozempic, and Zepbound has added enormous financial pressure to employer health plans. With costs exceeding $1,000 per member per month, demand for these medications has grown so rapidly that many organizations now find them financially unsustainable. This has led employers to ask a critical question:
“How do we manage obesity without relying exclusively on high-cost medications?”

As employers search for sustainable solutions, they’re turning to their TPAs for direction — and specifically for non-GLP-1 wellness alternatives for TPAs that target weight management through prevention, behavior change, and whole-person wellbeing.

This shift represents a pivotal opportunity. TPAs can now lead the way by offering structured, personalized, and scalable programs that reduce obesity risk without the heavy financial burden of long-term GLP-1 dependence. Effective non-GLP-1 wellness alternatives for TPAs support healthier populations, lower claims, and create long-term cost stability. Prevention is no longer a wellness “add-on” — it is a core cost-containment strategy and a defining pillar of modern TPA value.

By providing non-GLP-1 wellness alternatives for TPAs, administrators can meet employer demand, strengthen their competitive edge, and improve population health in a way that pharmaceutical solutions alone cannot achieve

Why Employers Are Searching for Non-GLP-1 Alternatives Now

The GLP-1 conversation is accelerating across benefits teams for three major reasons.

1. GLP-1 Drug Costs Are Unsustainable

GLP-1 medications are now one of the most expensive classes on many employer health plans. List prices for popular drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy are roughly $969–$1,349 per month, which translates to about $11,600–$16,200 per member per year. Even when rebates or discounts apply, someone in the system — patient, plan sponsor, or both — is absorbing a substantial share of that cost.

Recent survey data from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP) shows how quickly this spending is adding up. Across responding employers, GLP-1 drugs for weight loss now represent almost 9–10.5% of total annual insurance claims on average, and nearly one in four employers report that GLP-1 coverage accounts for **more than 15% of their annual claims. As utilization grows, that share is expected to climb even higher.

At the same time, McKinsey & Company projects that global GLP-1 sales could reach around $100 billion by 2030, driven by rapid prescription growth and expanding indications for both diabetes and obesity. For self-funded employers, this trajectory signals a clear risk: if even a modest portion of eligible members initiate and remain on GLP-1 therapy long term, pharmacy spend can increase dramatically and put sustained pressure on budgets.

In this environment, TPAs that can offer credible, non-GLP-1 wellness alternatives — grounded in prevention, behavior change, and whole-person support — quickly become indispensable partners for employers searching for sustainable cost control.

2. Long-Term GLP-1 Maintenance Is Uncertain and Expensive

Emerging data shows that members often regain weight after discontinuing GLP-1 medications. That means:

  • many members will require ongoing, indefinite treatment
  • the cost curve remains high long-term
  • employers shoulder a continuous financial burden

TPAs must help employers break the “perpetual medication cycle” by providing lifestyle-first approaches that create sustainable weight loss.

3. Employers Want Solutions That Build Health, Not Dependency

While GLP-1s can be effective, they do not address:

  • root-cause lifestyle factors
  • emotional and stress triggers
  • sleep, activity, or nutrition habits
  • behavior change skills
  • long-term weight maintenance

Employers increasingly prefer holistic, preventative strategies that improve whole-person wellbeing rather than relying exclusively on pharmaceutical solutions.

Why TPAs Are Uniquely Positioned to Deliver Non-GLP-1 Prevention Programs

Most employers don’t have the resources to build structured, behavior-based obesity programs internally. They rely on TPAs to bring guidance, tools, and insights that complement — or replace — clinical interventions.

Here’s why TPAs have a powerful opportunity to lead:

• TPAs can integrate prevention directly into their core value proposition.

Prevention is no longer a “wellness extra.” It is a measurable cost-reduction strategy that TPAs can own.

• TPAs have access to population-level data.

Data enables early identification of obesity-related risk, rising-risk individuals, and trend analysis.

• TPAs can offer unified, vendor-neutral solutions.

Unlike consolidated ecosystems that promote their own products, TPAs can deliver the best-fit prevention tools without bias.

• TPAs are trusted partners in long-term health strategy.

Employers already look to their TPA to help forecast and manage risk.

• TPAs can influence both claims and non-claims behavior.

This is where wellness interventions make the biggest difference.

This combination makes TPAs the ideal partner to help employers reduce GLP-1 dependence, improve population health, and stabilize long-term costs.

Obesity as a Cost Driver: The Hidden Numbers Employers Can’t Ignore

Obesity directly contributes to or worsens many high-cost claims categories:

  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Hypertension
  • High cholesterol
  • Sleep apnea
  • MSK conditions
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Depression and anxiety

Employers face increased:

  • specialty drug use
  • emergency visits
  • lab tests and imaging
  • chronic disease complications
  • disability claims
  • absenteeism and presenteeism

The CDC estimates obesity costs U.S. employers $173 billion annually in direct medical costs — not including productivity losses.

Prevention is the only long-term path to reversing these cost trends.

Why Lifestyle-First Strategies Must Be the Foundation of Any Obesity Program

GLP-1s influence appetite and metabolic regulation, but they cannot:

  • teach long-term eating habits
  • address emotional eating
  • improve physical activity levels
  • build muscle mass
  • improve sleep quality
  • reduce chronic stress
  • address loneliness or burnout
  • fix nutrition literacy

Weight is multi-dimensional — and requires a multi-dimensional approach.

Lifestyle-first models focus on the behavioral, environmental, and emotional factors that drive sustainable weight change. TPAs who help employers adopt this approach see better outcomes and lower long-term costs.

How TPAs Can Deliver Effective Non-GLP-1 Wellness Alternatives

Below are the core elements TPAs should include in a prevention-first obesity program.

1. Real-Time Behavioral Data for Early Risk Detection

Obesity doesn’t happen overnight. Rising-risk patterns emerge months or years before diagnosis.

Real-time wellness data can detect early signals:

  • decreased daily activity
  • insufficient sleep
  • chronic stress
  • nutrition challenges
  • mood patterns
  • sedentary behavior
  • declining resilience

TPAs can identify at-risk individuals and populations before obesity or metabolic disease fully develops.

2. Personalized, Adaptive Wellness Journeys

One-size-fits-all programs fail because they ignore individual:

  • lifestyle
  • motivation
  • environment
  • culture
  • job type
  • emotional patterns

TPAs should deliver personalized pathways that evolve with the member’s readiness and progress.

This includes:

  • nutrition guidance
  • activity coaching
  • sleep improvement
  • stress reduction
  • digital nudges
  • team-based challenges
  • habit stacking
  • micro-milestones

Personalization drives behavior change — and behavior change drives sustainable weight loss.

3. Structured Weight-Management Programming

Members need guided frameworks, not vague encouragement.

Effective programs include:

  • weekly goals
  • curated learning modules
  • coaching or automated support
  • social accountability
  • progress tracking
  • rewards and recognition

Structure increases consistency, and consistency creates measurable outcomes.

4. Mental Health and Stress Management Integration

Stress is one of the strongest predictors of unhealthy eating and weight gain.

Members under chronic stress:

  • sleep less
  • move less
  • crave sugar and fats
  • have elevated cortisol
  • gain abdominal fat
  • struggle with motivation

A true obesity prevention strategy must include:

  • burnout detection
  • mindfulness training
  • resilience tools
  • stress management challenges
  • emotional health resources

Holistic programs outperform nutrition-only solutions.

5. MSK and Movement Programs

Obesity and MSK conditions reinforce each other.
Excess weight increases MSK strain, and MSK pain reduces movement, leading to more weight gain.

TPAs can break the cycle with:

  • walking challenges
  • posture and strength programs
  • mobility and flexibility routines
  • ergonomic training

Consistent movement is one of the most powerful drivers of sustainable weight control.

6. Social Support and Recognition Programs

Weight loss is easier when it doesn’t feel isolating.

Social support increases:

  • motivation
  • participation
  • consistency
  • long-term success
  • feelings of belonging

Recognition, rewards, and team-based progress tracking create momentum and build community engagement.

7. Education-Based Approaches That Build Lasting Habits

Many employees have never had access to:

  • nutrition literacy
  • portion awareness
  • behavior-change tools
  • habit-loop understanding
  • stress and sleep science
  • metabolic health education

TPAs who deliver educational content empower members to make changes that last long after a challenge ends.

How Prevention-Based Alternatives Lower GLP-1 Demand

When members participate in structured, holistic wellness programs, employers often see:

  • fewer individuals progressing to severe obesity
  • reduced demand for GLP-1 medications
  • improved outcomes for members who discontinue GLP-1s
  • improved metabolic health markers
  • stronger weight maintenance and relapse prevention
  • lower long-term pharmacy spend

This allows employers to reserve GLP-1s for members who need them most — while supporting the rest of the population through sustainable, lower-cost programs.

Why TPAs Need a Unified Platform (Not Multiple Vendors)

Employers do not want a patchwork of siloed apps and point solutions.

The most successful non-GLP-1 strategies require a single ecosystem where members can:

  • access all wellness resources
  • track habits
  • join challenges
  • receive nudges
  • engage socially
  • view progress
  • receive recognition
  • follow personalized journeys

A unified platform simplifies engagement, improves outcomes, and provides holistic reporting — all critical for TPAs.

How Woliba Helps TPAs Deliver Effective Non-GLP-1 Wellness Alternatives

Woliba equips TPAs with everything needed to offer sustainable obesity-prevention solutions:

Real-Time Behavioral Data

Identify rising-risk early and track behavior patterns correlated with obesity risk.

Personalized Wellness Journeys

Tailored nutrition, activity, sleep, stress, and lifestyle guidance.

Whole-Person Wellbeing Tools

Covering the full spectrum of physical, emotional, and social wellbeing.

MSK + Movement Programs

Address the #1 and #2 cost drivers of MSK and weight-related claims.

Stress and Burnout Detection

Crucial for preventing emotional eating and weight gain.

Unified Engagement Engine

Challenges, recognition, team progress, rewards, and habit tracking.

Reporting That Shows Impact

TPAs can report on:

  • weight-related risk improvement
  • movement and activity increases
  • stress and burnout reductions
  • participation trends
  • GLP-1 cost avoidance

This is how TPAs transform prevention into measurable outcomes.

The Future of Obesity Prevention for TPAs and Employers

The obesity epidemic isn’t slowing down — and GLP-1 drugs aren’t becoming cheaper. Employers need sustainable solutions that build long-term health rather than relying solely on expensive pharmaceuticals.

The TPAs that embrace prevention, deliver structured wellness alternatives, and guide employers through this moment of cost disruption will become indispensable partners in population health.

Non-GLP-1 alternatives aren’t just helpful.
They are essential for long-term cost control, sustainable outcomes, and healthier populations.

Prevention isn’t a perk.
It’s the strategy that defines the next decade of employer and TPA success.