Aon: Aon plc Unveils First Workforce-Focused Analysis on GLP-1s: Medications and Holistic Support Can Transform Workforce Health and Bend the Cost Curve

Aon plc 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. The Impact of GLP-1s: Health Improves, Cost Curve Bends: To help companies quantify the opportunity and impact ofGLP-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. 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% 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. Aon plc 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. The Impact of GLP-1s: Health Improves, Cost Curve Bends: To help companies quantify the opportunity and impact ofGLP-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. 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% 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.