How Employers Can Lead the Shift in Diabetes and Weight Health
As National Diabetes Awareness Month reminds us of the ongoing impact of diabetes, employers have a unique opportunity to make a meaningful impact on...
Employee health problems are costly for employers, and obesity is a key driver of absenteeism and related costs. To address the need, WeightWatchers for Business offers a full-spectrum health solution that can evolve and change along with your employees’ weight health needs, wherever their weight health journey takes them.
Employee health problems cost U.S. companies more than $225 billion annually,1 and obesity is a driver of absenteeism and related costs for employers. Compounding the issue, the healthcare ecosystem can be challenging to navigate. WeightWatchers for Business is working to simplify that experience by offering a full-spectrum approach to addressing overweight and obesity, and weight-related metabolic disease. And we’re proud to partner with visionary leaders across the healthcare ecosystem – like Personify Health – to further expand access to quality weight healthcare.
A strategic partner for employers and health plans
Employers need a weight health platform that can support the entire spectrum of weight healthcare, and grow in intensity based on true clinical need – from behavior change to coaching and supportive communities to a virtual obesity clinic with medication management for GLP-1s. Our proven behavior change program meets members where they are both culturally and clinically. As a person’s body and health change over time, their needs change. The key to success is flexibility: a solution that can evolve to scale and support employees’ weight health needs.
Partnering with Personify Health to help employers address weight healthcare
One such example of our collaborative approach to improve and expand access to science-proven and research-backed weight care is our partnership with Personify Health. Now, organizations using the Personify Health personalized health platform can choose to have integrated access to WeightWatchers for Business and our full-spectrum weight health platform, which is customizable based on employer coverage. Personify Health's comprehensive partner ecosystem and proactive approach to GLP-1s help organizations close gaps in care across 25+ health and well-being categories while addressing the most common and costly health concerns. With this collaborative approach, companies using the Personify Health platform can choose to have access to WeightWatchers for Business to amplify their efforts and support for the weight healthcare needs of their employees, including those seeking support for GLP-1 medication.
For employers, the partnership simplifies the process of offering weight health solutions – implementation is turnkey and there are no complex contracts to navigate. Employees gain access to the #1 doctor-recommended WeightWatchers for Business weight health platform and enjoy seamless integration in their user experience with the Personify Health platform. This partnership complements Personify Health’s enhanced digital therapeutic program, which also provides personalized GLP-1 member support and pairs with their GLP-1 reimbursement programs to improve long-term health outcomes, reduce complications, and drive long-term cost control for employers and their employee population. The curated member experience Personify offers fuels employee engagement to deliver proven results and performance-based outcomes, and results in a win-win scenario that expands access to quality weight healthcare for employees.
“WeightWatchers has continuously evolved with the latest research and science, and we recognize their recent innovations to provide scalable and flexible health solutions that address key aspects of weight healthcare. We’re proud to add WeightWatchers for Business to our partner ecosystem, providing an array of tools to help members achieve their desired personalized weight health and cardiometabolic goals,” said Jeffrey Jacques, MD, chief medical officer at Personify Health.
Shifting the focus from weight to overall health
In the past, it was common to think of weight as an isolated aspect of our existence — a number on the scale that had to be reduced. But the connection between an unhealthy weight and a range of chronic conditions, like diabetes, is clear. There are over 200 chronic conditions that are impacted by obesity and respond positively to the behavior and lifestyle change programs. Studies have demonstrated that weight loss can boost overall well-being, quality of life, and self-esteem while also boosting work performance.3
WeightWatchers’ best-in-class weight health program is tailored to the individual and to the organization’s benefit coverage decisions. Our science-proven behavior change program can be offered standalone or in conjunction with our virtual clinic and medication management. For members taking GLP-1 agonists, such as Wegovy or Zepbound, we offer the science-backed WeightWatchers GLP-1 Program, which can help employers control costs surrounding GLP-1 utilization and weight-related chronic conditions. Combining the WeightWatchers behavior change program with these medications has been shown to help participants lose 11% more weight than with medication alone.2
Employers must remember that each of their employees is an individual with unique needs. Anyone who embarks upon their personal journey in weight health has to understand their “personal why.” At WeightWatchers for Business, our “why” is to help people get and stay healthy. By working together with employers and health plans, we’re expanding access to quality weight healthcare.
Let’s talk about your organization’s needs and how our science-proven platform and research-backed behavior change program can provide weight healthcare across behavioral, community, and clinical care.
2 Based on an analysis of virtual clinic member data at 4 weeks of membership comparing those who initiate WW’s behavior change program and those who don’t — completed in Jan 2024.
3 Pagoto S, Xu R, Bullard T, et al. An Evaluation of a Personalized Multicomponent Commercial Digital Weight Management Program: Single-Arm Behavioral Trial. J Med Internet Res. 2023;25:e44955.