When my A1C hit 10.2, I knew I was in dangerous territory. Type 2 diabetes had taken hold, and the future looked terrifying.

Then I started a GLP-1 medication. Within months, my A1C dropped into the 6s. My health stabilized. For the first time in years, I felt like I had control over my body again.

You’d think this would be cause for celebration, right? Wrong.

When I had to switch to a Commonwealth state employee health plan due to job changes, they decided I didn’t need the medication anymore because my A1C had improved. They told me I’d have to “fail” on other drugs first. Even though I was finally healthy. Even though this was the medication that got me there.

This happened to me as someone with type 2 diabetes, a condition the Commonwealth claims to cover. If their own rules already create barriers for people with diabetes who are actually getting results, imagine what complete elimination of coverage means for people with obesity who need these medications to prevent developing diabetes in the first place.

That’s exactly what’s about to happen. Governor Healey’s FY 2026 budget eliminated GLP-1 coverage for weight management, cutting off access for nearly half a million state employees, retirees, and their families starting January 1, 2026. Unless the Legislature intervenes, thousands of people who depend on these medications will lose them.

This isn’t just short-sighted, it’s backwards public health policy. We’re telling people with obesity to wait until they develop diabetes before we’ll help them. We’re choosing to intervene only after the damage is done, when treatment becomes harder, more expensive, and far less effective.

Here’s what I’ve learned through my health advocacy work: obesity is a complex chronic disease, not a moral failing. Yet we refuse to treat it with the same seriousness as other conditions. Imagine telling someone with hypertension they can’t have blood pressure medication until they have a heart attack. That’s the logic we’re applying here.

Other states get this. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker expanded GLP-1 coverage for state employees because, as he put it, supporting workers who are losing weight is “cheaper for the state” and “healthier for the people who work for us.” He understands what Massachusetts seems determined to ignore.

The economics are straightforward. Yes, GLP-1s are expensive upfront. But untreated obesity costs far more: heart disease, joint replacements, lost productivity, disability claims. We’ll save money in one budget line but pay across the entire health system.

The people losing access aren’t statistics. They’re teachers, corrections officers, state troopers, social workers who keep Massachusetts running. They deserve better than a system that waits for them to get sicker before offering help.

If you’re a Massachusetts state employee or believe healthcare should help people get healthier rather than wait for them to get sicker, speak up. Contact Governor Healey and your legislators. Tell them cutting GLP-1 coverage isn’t fiscal responsibility, it’s shortsightedness that will cost us all more.

Written by Michael Donnelly-Boylen, also known as Mike on a Mission (TikTok), OAC Member and Advocate.