Tirzepatide Associated With Decreased Health Care Utilization and Spending Among Patients With Obesity
Key Takeaways:
- In a study containing 31 686 patients with obesity or overweight, tirzepatide was associated with reduced health care spending compared to no treatment.
- Patients not receiving treatment had higher rates of inpatient and emergency department (ED) visits than those receiving tirzepatide, which may contribute to their increased care costs.
- The Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program, which provides short-term coverage for obesity medications, could increase Medicare cost savings by providing coverage for tirzepatide.
As obesity prevalence continues to rise in the US, health care utilization and spending are expected to increase as well. Medicare and Medicaid obesity-related costs are estimated to increase to $4.1 trillion over the next decade.
Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) such as tirzepatide have emerged as effective weight-management therapies. In July 2026, the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program was implemented to provide short-term coverage to GLP-1 RAs.
Researchers conducted a study to compare health care utilization and care costs between tirzepatide and no treatment among patients with obesity.
Study Methods and Outcomes
Using data from the Komodo Research Dataset, investigators identified adults over 55 years old who were diagnosed with obesity or overweight between November 2022 and September 2025.
The study included 2 cohorts, each containing 15 843 patients: the control group and the tirzepatide group. Patients in the control group did not receive any treatment for obesity while patients in the tirzepatide group were treated with tirzepatide.
The study had 3 follow-up periods: 3-6 months, 6-12 months, and 6-18 months.
Outcomes included all-cause health care, medical, and pharmacy costs (excluding tirzepatide costs) and health care utilization. Researchers assessed outcomes using a difference-in-differences (DiD) framework.
Tirzepatide vs No Treatment
All-cause health care costs in the tirzepatide cohort remained relatively stable while spending in the control cohort increased ($1031 at baseline to $1244 at 12-18 months. DiD estimates of per-person-per-month costs were −$145 at 6-12 months and −$319 at 12-18 months, resulting in reductions of 12.3% and 25.4%, respectively.
Medical costs followed a similar trend, with DiD estimates of −$152 at 6-12 months and −$211 at 12-18 months. Pharmacy costs were similar between cohorts for 12 months before diverging into a difference of −$108 during the 12-18 months period.
Patients in the tirzepatide group had lower rates of ED visits and hospitalizations compared to those in the control group. In addition, rates of health care utilization significantly decreased in the tirzepatide cohort, with an incidence rate ratio of 0.86 at 3-6 months, 0.76 at 6-12 months, and 0.69 at 12-18 months.
Implications for Managed Care
Increased spending among the control cohort was associated with rising costs and higher rates of health care utilization. These findings indicate potential downstream economic benefits in consistent tirzepatide treatment that offset drug costs.
Regarding the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program, coverage for tirzepatide may reduce long-term spending.
The authors said, “These results have implications for the $195 monthly net Medicare cost for the Bridge programme, suggesting tirzepatide may generate near-term cost savings in an older population that stays on treatment.”
Reference
Upadhyay N, Bonakdar A, Subedi K, Banerjee S, Behrend B, Hankosky ER. Trends in cost of care with tirzepatide in adults aged over 55 years with obesity or overweight without diabetes: a matched cohort analysis. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2026:1-10. doi:10.1111/dom.71250
