Tackling the obesity crisis with cutting-edge weight-loss pathways
Obesity rates in the UK are rising fast, with research showing a 51% increase among UK employees recorded as being obese between 2014 and 2023.1
With links to serious conditions like diabetes, heart disease and cancer, obesity remains a major challenge for healthcare providers.
At the same time, weight-management medications have become increasingly mainstream, offering a promising way to reduce obesity’s impact.
of health insurance customers say they’ve used or are using weight-management medication2
Yet only 19% of those taking or considering it say it was recommended by a GP or healthcare professional—raising concerns about clinical oversight and appropriate use.2
Vitality’s groundbreaking weight management pathway
In 2025, Vitality became the first health insurer to introduce weight-management medication as a core feature of its private medical insurance.
Eligible Vitality members can benefit from discounted access to weight-management medications Mounjaro or Wegovy, as part of a dedicated, clinically overseen weight-loss pathway. This builds on Vitality’s existing (non-medicated) weight-management pathway, launched in 2022.
Hear from Dr Katie Tryon, Vitality's Chief Commerical Director, about the role of weight-management medications.
Early 2025 data from Vitality’s medicated weight-management pathway shows that members enrolled lost on average 9.3% of their body weight within just a 3-month period.
Managing downstream healthcare costs
Tackling obesity isn’t just about improving individual health outcomes – it’s also critical to managing downstream healthcare costs. Vitality’s claims analysis from 2021 to 2024 reveals that obesity is a significant predictor of hospital admissions, including cardiac and musculoskeletal conditions.
These hospitalisations can often lead to more complex and costly claims. By addressing obesity, we can not only support members in leading healthier lives but also reduce the likelihood of major illness and hospital admissions – helping to manage and mitigate rising claim costs.
Compared to members with a healthy BMI, those living with obesity are3:
more likely to be hospitalised for any condition
more likely to be hospitalised for a musculoskeletal condition
more likely to be hospitalised for a cardiac condition
1. 10 years of Britain's Healthiest Workplace: the changing face of the UK at work, 2025.
2. Vitality and Opinium survey of 1,000 UK private health insurance customers, September 2025.
3. Based on in-hospital claims rates for members with a BMI of 30 or more, compared to those with a healthy weight, 2021-2024.
All figures VitalityHealth claims data 2024 unless otherwise stated.
