Firm also sets new standard in employee health by combining GLP-1 medications and holistic support to drive adherence and sustainable outcomes for Aon's U.S. colleagues in collaboration with eMed
CHICAGO, April 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Aon plc (NYSE: AON), a leading global professional services firm, today released findings from a multi-year study of U.S. commercial health claims data for more than 50 million commercially insured lives. The analysis highlights a significant opportunity to reduce healthcare costs for employers and enhance overall workforce health through a comprehensive obesity management program that includes GLP-1 medications.
Drawing on its deep investments in health data and analytics, Aon provides data-driven workforce insights that help employers reduce costs, maximize productivity and improve employee health. For this analysis, Aon leveraged its Health Risk Analyzer to quantify the opportunity and impact of GLP-1 medications.
As part of its commitment to advancing workforce wellbeing, Aon also announced the launch of its own GLP-1 weight management program for U.S. employees. The program combines affordable access to treatment with virtual support and adherence tools, addressing one of the most urgent and costly health challenges facing employers today.
"Obesity is an escalating global epidemic, impacting nearly 40 percent of U.S. adults, contributing to more than 60 chronic conditions and costing the U.S. economy up to $1.72 trillion annually," said Greg Case, CEO of Aon. "Addressing this issue is not only a public health opportunity but also a workforce and economic imperative."
Case continued, "Our analysis shows that GLP-1 medications, when paired with a holistic adherence program, represent a once-in-a-generation opportunity to prevent and manage chronic disease, improve quality of life and bend the healthcare cost curve. At Aon, we're already acting on these insights with our own GLP-1 weight management program to shape a smarter, more sustainable approach to workforce health. We invite others to join us in delivering meaningful improvements in health outcomes and long-term economic value."
The Impact of GLP-1s: Health Improves, Cost Curve Bends
To help companies quantify the opportunity and impact of GLP-1 coverage, Aon leveraged a proprietary methodology and the firm's Health Risk Analyzer to evaluate an extensive dataset of medical and Rx claims data from over 50 million commercially insured lives, including 139,000 prescribed GLP-1 users from 2022-2024. Aon's early analysis reveals:
- A Bend in the Cost Curve: After the widely reported initial jump in costs related to initiation of GLP-1 medications, cost growth rates diverge from the GLP-1 treatment group, trending at half the rate of a precisely matched control group in the last 12 months of the analysis period. Outside the cost of the treatment, Aon observed a seven-percentage point improvement in medical spend growth for GLP-1 users in the second year. If this trend improvement is sustained over future periods, it implies significant positive impacts on population health and economic impacts extending beyond healthcare costs to reductions in absenteeism and disability and improved productivity.
- Reduced Cardiovascular Events and Improved Health: GLP-1 users experienced a 44 percent reduction in risk of hospitalizations caused by major adverse cardiovascular events (e.g., stroke, heart attack and heart failure) over the 24 months following therapy initiation. Other notable health improvements included lower incidence of claims for pneumonia, inflammatory bowel disease, osteoporosis, and alcohol and substance use disorders compared to a precisely matched control group. The analysis also showed GLP-1 users had elevated claims activity in certain arthritic conditions, thyroid and esophageal disorders, and sleep-wake disorders. Further research and analysis may show that by losing weight, patients accessed a broader spectrum of treatments, which translated to elevated utilization of services.
"When you consider the indirect costs of obesity, such as the treatment of comorbidities and absenteeism, the overall economic burden is striking," said Farheen Dam, head of Health Solutions for North America at Aon. "Our preliminary insights show that GLP-1s – when paired with a wellbeing and adherence program that includes nutrition, exercise and mental health resources – can reduce long-term healthcare expenditures and even enhance workforce productivity."
Aon will share the highlights of its health claims analysis at the Milken Institute Global Conference on May 5. The plenary session, "In Service of a Healthier Tomorrow," will examine how prevention, data, biomedical research, health financing and cross-sector partnerships can drive better health outcomes and capture economic value at scale.
"Aon's analysis underscores the critical role that innovative, data-driven approaches can play in tackling one of the most pressing health challenges of our time," said Esther Krofah, executive vice president, Milken Institute Health. "By quantifying both the health and economic benefits of GLP-1 access, this work not only advances the dialogue around obesity management in the U.S. workforce, it also paves the way for scalable, global solutions that prioritize prevention and long-term impact."
Aon Leading by Example: De-Stigmatizing and Subsidizing GLP-1s for Aon's U.S. Employee Population
As part of its leadership in employee wellbeing, Aon has launched a subsidized GLP-1 weight management benefit program for its U.S. workforce with eMed, an innovator in population health. This collaboration is designed to drive adherence and sustainable outcomes for employees by offering holistic support. eMed's wellness program uses AI tools to capture patient biometrics, offers at-home blood tests for maximum convenience and provides access to weekly virtual check-ins and 24/7 side effect management.
"Making this investment is essential to delivering value and achieving results," said Lisa Stevens, chief administrative officer of Aon. "We're proving that it's possible to offer access to GLP-1s affordably and with dignity — and that doing so can benefit both people and the bottom line."
The Road Ahead: Advancing Analytics to Support Better Decisions
Aon works with employers in modeling the long-term business impact of GLP-1 adoption by providing customized claims analysis and global workforce impact modeling and planning. Aon emphasizes a comprehensive data-backed and human capital-focused approach to capture the transformative effects on health and productivity. This empowers employers to consider the full value of obesity management and make better decisions. By working with forward-thinking organizations, Aon aims to revolutionize chronic condition prevention and redefine workforce health investment, setting a new benchmark for the industry.
For more about Aon's Health Solutions visit: Health and Benefits | Aon
About Aon
Aon plc (NYSE: AON) exists to shape decisions for the better — to protect and enrich the lives of people around the world. Through actionable analytic insight, globally integrated Risk Capital and Human Capital expertise, and locally relevant solutions, our colleagues provide clients in over 120 countries with the clarity and confidence to make better risk and people decisions that protect and grow their businesses.
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