The North Carolina State Health board voted to remove coverage of expensive weight loss drugs like Wegovy last spring and roughly 25,000 state employees now have to pay out of pocket for the drug. During a press conference Monday morning, State Treasurer Brad Briner said coverage of the drug could return as soon as next year if the budget fits.
"We would like to reinstate coverage to GLP-1s (drugs like Ozempic). I'm hopeful that we can do that in 2026 because it is a good long-term investment in certain of our members' health. But we've got to be able to differentiate between those who want them for small weight issues and those who want them for much larger weight issues," he said.
Despite the costs of the drugs, Briner said he also recognizes the drug can be very effective.
