Dallas woman, 31, went from paying $0 to $399 a month for GLP-1 drugs after losing her job — now she pays just $25

For Kennebrew, losing weight wasn’t just about her physical appearance — it also made her feel more confident, energetic and social. But she can’t help wondering whether her weight also played a role in her career opportunities.

“Not only was I smaller, but I was a lot more confident in myself too,” she said. “I don’t know if I would have felt as confident or really [been] picked for that opportunity if I was bigger.”

Cost of GLP-1s

GLP-1 medications have quickly become a popular way for Americans to lose weight. In 2026, 11% of U.S. adults said they were taking one for weight loss, up from just 3% in 2024, according to Gallup.

But in the U.S., access to health insurance is largely tied to employment. As of March 2025, more than 165 million Americans under 65 received health insurance through an employer, according to KFF.

Having insurance doesn’t necessarily mean medical care is affordable. About one in three working-age adults with private insurance are still paying off medical bills or debt, as high deductibles and limited coverage can leave patients with out-of-pocket costs.

That means changing jobs can also change how much someone pays for their prescriptions. And for medications like GLP-1s, which are typically taken on an ongoing basis, the cost isn’t just a one-time expense. It’s something patients have to budget for month after month, especially if they lose their insurance coverage.

The weight of workplace bias

But aside from the medication, new research suggests that GLP-1 use could be linked to improved employment prospects, particularly among women who were previously unemployed.

A 2026 working paper by Harvard economist Rebecca Diamond found that women who were unemployed before starting GLP-1 medications saw their employment rate rise by nearly 27 percentage points after at least 18 months, compared with similar women who wanted to take the medications but had not yet started.

After Moneywise published a story on Diamond’s findings, one reader took to Threads to share a particularly uncomfortable experience from their first corporate job.

“My first corporate job out of college told me they interviewed 3 people before choosing me. Once I worked there for a while, I asked what stood out about me versus the other applicants. No joke, my supervisor said: “You were the only one who fit in the desk,” the user wrote.

While the account hasn’t been independently verified, it offers an example of the kind of appearance-based judgment that job applicants may face.

Devin Hornick, co-founder and partner at recruiting firm KORE1, says appearance bias isn’t always so obvious, especially during the hiring process.