Weight loss drugs cost Milwaukee County $11 million, leaders debate

Weight loss drugs cost Milwaukee County $11 million, leaders look for ways to cut costs Amendment to increase county employees' insurance copays on GLP-1 medications fails Advertisement Updated: 12:17 PM CST Nov 7, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Jasmine Franklin Reporter Weight loss drugs cost Milwaukee County $11 million, leaders look for ways to cut costs Amendment to increase county employees' insurance copays on GLP-1 medications fails Updated: 12:17 PM CST Nov 7, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Jasmine Franklin Reporter MILWAUKEE — Weight loss drugs and who is paying for them took center stage during Milwaukee County's budget battle. So many employees are taking GLP-1s; it's costing the county millions. Advertisement Lawmakers spent hours debating the issue. Eleven million dollars is how much Milwaukee County spent this year on employees using GLP-1 medications with insurance. "I see this is just going to explode; it's just not going to stop," Milwaukee County Supervisor Sheldon Wasserman said. The rising price tag is prompting leaders to search for ways to lower the cost. "We cannot let Milwaukee County be financially irresponsible.," Supervisor Shawn Rolland said. Rolland authored an amendment to increase county employees' copays for GLP-1 medications from $40 to $150, and only offer it to people who have diabetes. "Because we need to find $4.5 million to patch a hole that we had no idea about until yesterday," Rolland said. But not everyone was on board with the idea. "It's an additional $1,320 per year imposed on people who are following the treatment plan prescribed by their physicians," Milwaukee County Supervisor Deanna Alexander said. Following an hourslong debate on Thursday, the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors voted against the amendment. "Right now we're the ninth heaviest state in the country; we're a very heavy county," Wasserman said. Wasserman, who is also a physician, supports GLP-1 usage and said the drastic increase would be unrealistic for county employees. But he did acknowledge the payments could put the county in a bigger hole. "The amount that we're putting forward to GLP-1 could be paying for our transit system, our park system," Wasserman said. Wasserman said he expects the county's cost for medication to increase up to $15 million next year, so the debate to lower the cost of the drug could come up again. Make WISN a preferred source on Google Add Preferred Source Share Infinite Scroll Enabled Top Picks High school band member stunned as 'Thunderstruck' performance goes viral Defense attorney for man convicted in Tupac murder trial found dead in Las Vegas Watch: Giant pandas make much-anticipated debut at Zoo Atlanta 19-year-old to become one of Massachusetts' youngest representatives in state history