GLP-1 users choose between medication and retirement saving

COLUMBUS, Ohio – GLP-1 medications are giving Americans greater optimism about living longer, healthier lives, but their cost is also creating a new retirement challenge. A new survey from Nationwide Retirement Institute finds 51% of current GLP-1 users worry they may have to choose between paying for their medication and saving enough for retirement. Nearly a quarter (24%) say maintaining access to their medication is more important than increasing their retirement savings.

These tradeoffs are already affecting decisions that could have financial consequences long after today's prescription is paid. More than half (54%) of current GLP-1 users have already changed their financial behaviors, including 17% who have taken on debt, such as credit cards or loans; 14% who have withdrawn money from savings, investments or retirement accounts; and 14% who have reduced their retirement contributions or investments.

For many users, the expected health benefits may make those financial pressures feel worth it. Nearly nine in 10 (88%) current users say taking a GLP-1 makes them feel more optimistic about their long-term health, and 64% say they may retire later because taking the medication makes them feel healthier.

“Medical innovation is changing how we think about living longer and healthier, and that’s a good thing. But living longer also means your money may need to last longer,” said Kristi Martin Rodriguez, leader of the Nationwide Retirement Institute. “If what you’re spending on your health today is competing with what you’re saving for tomorrow, that needs to be part of the financial planning conversation.”

Longer, healthier lives bring new retirement challenges

The possibility of better long-term health creates its own financial planning challenge: preparing for a potentially longer retirement. More than half (56%) of current users say they may need more money for future healthcare expenses if they live longer, while nearly half (49%) say the possibility of living longer makes them less confident in their retirement plan.

For people who continue GLP-1 treatment over time (many will for the rest of their lives), the ongoing cost of the treatment adds another layer of uncertainty. Nearly six in 10 (59%) current users worry about being able to afford GLP-1 medication in retirement. Current users whose medication is not entirely covered by insurance pay an average of $203 out of pocket each month.

Despite those concerns, the health benefits users expect from GLP-1s may be reducing the urgency they feel to prepare financially. Nearly six in 10 (59%) say the expected health benefits of GLP-1s make them feel less pressure to increase their retirement savings. Similarly, 57% say the expected health benefits make them less concerned about needing additional health or long-term care insurance in the future.

Together, these findings point to a potential planning gap: GLP-1 users are increasingly optimistic about living healthier, longer lives, even as many may be financially unprepared for the additional years those health benefits could bring.

A new conversation about retirement planning

As GLP-1s and other medical innovations reshape expectations for health and longevity, they are also creating new conversations for retirement planning. Nearly six in 10 (59%) current users expect a financial professional to advise them on the financial impact of GLP-1 medications or other health innovations, yet 47% have never discussed the topic with an advisor.

“The connection between health and wealth has never been more apparent than with the rise of GLP-1 medications,” Rodriguez said. “These drugs offer the potential for a longer, healthier life, but they also come with financial implications that we can't ignore. It's time to have a conversation about how the expense and benefits of these drugs impact our financial decisions today and our long-term financial outlook. Retirement savers trying to strike this balance should be intentional in creating a plan with a trusted financial advisor that keeps saving for the future on track to prepare for a longer, healthier retirement.”

To help financial professionals guide these conversations, Nationwide’s Health Care Cost Assessment tool uses proprietary health risk analysis and updated actuarial cost data to help financial professionals and clients estimate future medical and long-term care expenses.

To learn more about the 2026 Nationwide Retirement Institute Health Care Costs in Retirement consumer survey, visit www.nationwide.com/healthcarecostshttp://www.nationwide.com/healthcarecosts. In addition, financial professionals can visit www.nationwide.com/simplifyhealthcarecostshttp://www.nationwide.com/simplifyhealthcarecosts to learn more.

Methodology

The research was conducted online in the U.S. by The Harris Poll on behalf of Nationwide among 1,933 adults age 18+, including 467 Gen Z (age 18-28), 500 Millennials (age 29-44), 510 Gen Xers (age 45-60), and 456 Boomers+ (age 61+).  509 current GLP-1 users and 364 former users were also collected. The survey was conducted July 20-August 4, 2026.

Data are weighted where necessary by age by gender, race/ethnicity, region, education, marital status (not included for Gen Z), household size, household income, and political affiliation to bring them in line with their actual proportions in the population.  To ensure the national sample was representative, the data were initially weighted by generation (Gen Z 18-28, Millennials 29-44, Gen Xers 45-60, and Boomers+ 61+) and then combined into a total age 18+ group.

Data for GLP-1 current and former GLP-1 users, were weighted as needed by education, age by gender, race/ethnicity, region, household income, size of household, marital status, employment, and political party affiliation.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who agreed to participate in our surveys. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval.  For this study, the sample data is accurate to within ± 2.2 percentage points using a 95% confidence level.  This credible interval will be wider among subsets of the surveyed population of interest.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to other multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including, but not limited to coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments.