How Data Can Close the GLP-1 Access Gap
By Maggie McCullough, Founder and CEO, PolicyMap
LinkedIn: Maggie McCullough
LinkedIn: PolicyMap
Breakthrough therapies like GLP-1 medications—Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus—have reshaped how we approach chronic conditions like diabetes and obesity. Yet, their benefits remain out of reach for millions. With annual price tags hovering around $12,000 and prescription rates skyrocketing by over 400% between 2019 and 2023, the affordability and accessibility challenge is undeniable. According to a recent KFF poll, more than half of adults prescribed GLP-1 drugs struggle to afford them—even 53% of those with insurance coverage report significant difficulty.
While national drug pricing negotiations, including Medicare’s efforts, are a step forward, they only address part of the issue. Ensuring equitable access requires a closer look, not just at the list price but at the complex, local realities shaping who can and can’t afford these medications. That’s where data and technology come in.
Beyond National Averages: Why Localized Data Matters
Broad statistics can highlight growing prescription trends and overall spending—Medicare’s $5.7 billion spend on three GLP-1s in 2022 speaks volumes—but they don’t reveal the nuances driving access disparities. Neighborhoods with similar obesity or diabetes rates may face very different barriers, depending on factors like income levels, insurance coverage, pharmacy access, and healthcare infrastructure.
This is where modern data platforms prove to be indispensable. By integrating public and proprietary data sources, ranging from insurance coverage rates to local socioeconomic conditions, these tools give users the ability to create hyperlocal, layered maps to pinpoint where affordability gaps exist. They allow healthcare leaders, policymakers, insurers, and researchers to visualize GLP-1 access not just at the state or county level but down to individual ZIP codes and neighborhoods. Without a clear, localized understanding of these dynamics, interventions risk being one-size-fits-all and ultimately ineffective.
Using Data to Inform Equitable Solutions
The power of geospatial data is in its ability to transform raw numbers into practical strategies. For health plans and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), these insights can identify underserved areas where expanding pharmacy networks or adjusting copayment structures could have the greatest impact. Policymakers can use the data to better design and target subsidy programs, while healthcare providers can better tailor patient education and outreach efforts based on real-world affordability barriers.
Mapping tools, illuminating medical spending indicators such as dollar spend on prescription drugs, provide a more complete picture of the systemic obstacles patients face. By visualizing these factors together, stakeholders can better understand the root causes of access disparities and craft sustainable, community-specific solutions.
The Role of Consistent, Accessible Data
Equally important is ensuring that this data remains accessible, reliable, and updated. Platforms that aggregate and standardize diverse data sources offer decision-makers a single, trusted place to view trends over time and across sectors. This long-term consistency is essential, particularly as drug pricing policies evolve and healthcare needs shift. Without it, efforts to reduce health inequities and improve medication access are built on incomplete foundations.
In an environment where healthcare costs are soaring and health disparities persist, data-driven insights are key to bridging the gap. By leveraging the full spectrum of economic, health, and demographic data, we can move beyond national averages to design solutions that are as targeted and nuanced as the communities they aim to serve. Ultimately, ensuring equitable access to life-changing therapies like GLP-1s isn’t just about lowering the price; it’s about understanding who’s being left behind and using the right data to close that gap.