(Politico) – Connecticut’s state employee health plan was on course to spend $30 million this year on a class of diabetes drugs that is exploding in popularity for weight loss. It was untenable, said Comptroller Sean Scanlon, who runs the plan, which covers 265,000 employees, including teachers, police officers and firefighters. But instead of scrapping coverage of the drugs like some other large employers have, the state is trying something different and, if successful, could offer a road map for organizations — public and private — which see their finances hamstrung by the costly yet effective treatment.

Since July, state health plan members seeking drugs like Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy for weight loss must first take part in a clinical lifestyle management program called Flyte, which offers online tools for weight management. (Read More)