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Health 14 Jun 2026

Primary care doctors raise alarm as telehealth companies get involved in obesity drugs

Telehealth companies offer lifestyle support so people taking obesity drugs can have the most success losing weight. But employers also want the telehealth providers to limit spending on the drugs.

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David Davis, a power plant worker in Aptos, Calif., was prescribed GLP-1 medication to treat obstructive sleep apnea. To approve the prescription, his insurance company required him to use Vida Health, an online telehealth company. Lisa Wiseman for NPR/‎ Every time David Davis talks to a nurse at Vida Health, he thinks he'll finally get the OK for Zepbound. "The more they wanted, the more frustrated I would get." The 57-year-old power plant worker who lives near Santa Cruz, Calif., had already gotten a Zepbound prescription from his primary care doctor last December to treat the obstructive sleep apnea that was leaving him exhausted every morning. He'd have to get a new prescription through Vida Health. Telehealth companies such as Vida Health and its rivals offer lifestyle support so people taking drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound can have the most success on the drugs. Davis was frustrated that he now had to work with Vida, but he did as he was told: He got new blood work, filled out health questionnaires and did video visits with a nurse. The Vida Health nurse said he was a good candidate for Zepbound but insisted he try two generic drugs first: naltrexone, a drug used to curb alcohol and opioid use, and bupropion, an antidepressant.

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