Cigna Wins First Cir. Bias Case Over Weight-Loss Drug Coverage

The First Circuit rejected a lawsuit accusing Cigna Health & Life Insurance Co. of obesity discrimination, shutting down an attempt to broaden coverage of blockbuster GLP-1 weight-loss drugs.

Pressure to cover the drugs is growing for insurers and employers as their uptake among the general public increases. One in five adults has taken a GLP-1 drug at some point, according to a November 2025 poll from health-care think tank KFF.

The US District Court for the District of Maine previously dismissed Jamie Whittemore’s case, along with a similar case against Elevance Health Inc. The district judges determined that Whittemore didn’t ...