‘A tax on being thin’: only high earners make overall savings on food bills from weight-loss drugs
Users need discretionary income of nearly £100,000 a year to make savings on their grocery spend after paying £1,200 for GLP-1s, analysis finds The high cost of weight-loss medication is a “regressive tax on being thin” because the outlay outweighs any saving on food costs for all but the highest earners. Someone needs to have discretionary income of nearly £100,000 a year to actually save money…
A new analysis reveals that only high earners can save money on food expenses after paying for weight-loss drugs called GLP-1s, which cost nearly £1,200 annually. According to Baringa, a consultancy, users need to have a discretionary income of nearly £100,000 per year to see savings from the medication. Paddy Winters, a partner at Baringa, highlighted that the high cost of GLP-1s could create a "regressive tax on being thin," disproportionately impacting lower-income individuals.
Most users opt for private prescriptions, and even those with a remaining £39,000 after taxes and essential expenses only save £481 a year on groceries. However, those with £97,500 left after expenses would see a £1,200 reduction in grocery spending. The analysis also noted that users often incur additional costs for vitamin supplements and personal care products to manage side effects, further eroding any financial benefits.
Individuals with obesity in England number 14.3 million, and about 3 million Britons currently use weight-loss medication, with the number expected to rise to 13% by the end of next year, according to PwC. The charity, the King's Fund, urged the government to ensure that access to these drugs is not limited by affordability, to prevent wider health inequalities stemming from obesity.
Written by urgent.news from Guardian Science's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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