New Managed Care Study Findings Have Been Reported by Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Disparities in Prescription of Long-Acting GLP-1s): Managed Care

2026 MAR 12 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Data detailed on Managed Care have been presented. According to news reporting originating from Boston, Massachusetts, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Broadening usage of new antiobesity medications (AOMs, e.g., GLP-1 and GLP-1/GIP agonists) has prompted access concerns. We analyzed patient and appointment factors associated with AOM prescriptions, including changing AOM coverage in state Medicaid programs (MassHealth).”

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, “This was a retrospective pre-post study of medical weight management appointments at a large tertiary care center in January and April 2024, bracketing a MassHealth coverage change for AOMs. Patient and visit characteristics and AOMs prescribed were analyzed. A total of 2060 patients were analyzed. Multivariable analysis demonstrated that patients were more likely to receive Sema/Tirz compared to no or a different AOM with private insurance (aOR 2.744, p< 0.001), diabetes (aOR 2.507, p< 0.001), and established patient relationships (aOR 1.706, p< 0.001). In January 2024, Black and Hispanic patients were 49% and 47% less likely to be prescribed Sema/Tirz (p = 0.003, p = 0.025); in April 2024, after MassHealth changes, only patients of ‘Not Disclosed’ race were less likely to receive these medications (p < 0.001). Black and Hispanic patients were less likely and patients with private insurance, diabetes, and established patient relationships were more likely to be prescribed Sema/Tirz.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Racial and ethnic disparities in medication prescription were less apparent after a state Medicaid policy change to cover new GLP-1s.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Disparities in Prescription of Long-Acting GLP-1s. Obesity, 2026. Obesity can be contacted at: Wiley, 111 River St, Hoboken 07030-5774, NJ, USA. (Nature Publishing Group - http://www.nature.com/; Obesity - http://www.nature.com/oby/)

The news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Nora Sheu, Laboratory for Surgical and Metabolic Research, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Additional authors for this research include Katherine Wasden, Pourya Medhati, Thomas C. Tsai, Dong Wook Kim, Ali Tavakkoli, Caroline M. Apovian and Eric G. Sheu.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.70152. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

Publisher contact information for the journal Obesity is: Wiley, 111 River St, Hoboken 07030-5774, NJ, USA.

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