GLP-1 Weight-Loss Drugs Are Forcing a Choice: Medication or Retirement Savings
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In brief
A Nationwide Retirement Institute survey finds that 51% of current GLP-1 users worry they will have to choose between staying on the medication and saving for retirement, and 54% say they have already changed how they manage money to keep paying for it. The findings point to a widening gap between the drugs' price and what many households can absorb without touching long-term savings.
GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy have become some of the most requested prescriptions in the United States, and their monthly cost is now showing up in a different kind of survey data: retirement planning. A 2026 Healthcare Costs Survey from the Nationwide Retirement Institute, conducted online by The Harris Poll, asked current and former users how the drugs are affecting their household finances, and found that money set aside for later life is one of the first places many are cutting back.
What the survey found
The Harris Poll surveyed 1,933 U.S. adults between July 20 and August 4, 2026, on behalf of Nationwide, including 509 current GLP-1 users and 364 former users, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points. According to Nationwide's published results, 51% of current users said they worry about having to choose between paying for the medication and saving for retirement, and 24% said keeping access to the drug matters more to them than increasing their retirement contributions.
More than half of current users, 54%, said they have already changed a financial behavior to keep affording the drug. Nationwide's release breaks that down into three overlapping groups: 17% took on debt such as credit cards or loans, 14% withdrew money from savings, investments or retirement accounts, and 14% reduced how much they put into retirement contributions.
51% of current users worry they may have to choose between the medication and retirement savings
24% say keeping access to the drug matters more than increasing retirement savings
54% have changed a financial behavior to afford it, including 17% who took on debt
14% withdrew from savings or retirement accounts, and 14% cut retirement contributions
59% worry about affording the drug once they are retired
Why the monthly bill is so high
Nationwide's survey reports that users whose insurance does not fully cover the drug pay an average of $203 a month out of pocket for the portion insurance leaves uncovered. List prices, which apply before insurance, rebates or manufacturer discounts, are considerably higher: Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Wegovy, and Eli Lilly's competing drugs, have carried list prices in the hundreds to over a thousand dollars a month, which is why insurance coverage and manufacturer savings cards largely determine what a given patient actually pays.
Novo Nordisk announced on February 24, 2026 that it would lower the U.S. list prices of Wegovy, the Wegovy pill, Ozempic and Rybelsus to a single $675 monthly price, effective January 1, 2027, according to the Copenhagen Post. The company described the move as a cut of roughly 50% for Wegovy and 35% for Ozempic. Jamey Millar, identified by the outlet as head of Novo Nordisk's U.S. business, said the American healthcare system is complex and called the change "an important step forward for people whose out-of-pocket costs are tied to the list price," according to the Copenhagen Post. Novo Nordisk had separately offered an introductory cash-pay rate of $199 a month for the first two months, rising to $349 a month afterward.
Feeling healthier, but not necessarily saving more
The survey also captured a paradox: users are optimistic about their health even as they worry about cost. Nationwide found that 88% of current users said taking a GLP-1 makes them feel more optimistic about their long-term health, and 64% said they might retire later because the medication makes them feel healthier. At the same time, 59% said that feeling made them less worried about increasing retirement savings, and 56% acknowledged they may need more money for healthcare if they end up living longer as a result.
Medical innovation is changing how we think about living longer and healthier, and that's a good thing. But living longer also means your money may need to last longer.
— Kristi Martin Rodriguez, leader of the Nationwide Retirement Institute, in the company's published survey commentary
A gap in financial advice
Nationwide's release states that 47% of current GLP-1 users have never discussed the drug's financial impact with a financial advisor, even though 59% said they expect to need that kind of guidance. A separate summary of the same survey published by InvestmentNews cited the same 47% figure, underscoring a gap between what users say they expect from financial guidance and the advice many have actually received.
Nationwide frames the gap as a planning opportunity rather than a crisis: medications that extend healthy years also change how long retirement savings may need to last, and that calculation is one most survey respondents have not yet worked through with a professional.
Questions
What percentage of GLP-1 users worry about choosing between medication and retirement savings?
According to the Nationwide Retirement Institute's 2026 survey, 51% of current GLP-1 users said they worry they may have to choose between paying for the medication and saving for retirement.
What financial sacrifices are GLP-1 users making to afford the drugs?
Nationwide's survey found 54% of current users changed a financial behavior to afford the medication, including 17% who took on debt, 14% who withdrew from savings or retirement accounts, and 14% who reduced retirement contributions.
How much do people actually pay out of pocket for GLP-1 drugs?
Users whose insurance does not fully cover the drug pay an average of $203 a month out of pocket, according to Nationwide's survey, though list prices before insurance or discounts are much higher.
Are GLP-1 drug prices going to change?
Novo Nordisk announced on February 24, 2026 that it will cut the U.S. list price of Ozempic, Wegovy, the Wegovy pill and Rybelsus to a unified $675 a month starting January 1, 2027, according to the Copenhagen Post.
Are GLP-1 users talking to financial advisors about these costs?
Nationwide's release says 47% of current users have never discussed the drug's financial impact with an advisor, and a summary from InvestmentNews reported the same 47% figure, even though 59% of users said they expect to need that kind of guidance.
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