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GLP-1, ADHD medication costs leading surge in drug insurance claims: report

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Cite

Rana, U. (2026, September 29). GLP-1, ADHD medication costs leading surge in drug insurance claims: report. Global News. https://globalnews.ca/news/12077482/glp1-adhd-medication-costs-surge-insurance-claims-report/

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Global News · collected 2026-09-29 · by Uday Rana

Quick Summary

GreenShield Canada’s report released Tuesday shows a significant rise in drug insurance claims for GLP-1 drugs and ADHD medications. Overall, the company's drug insurance costs increased by 9.5% in 2025, with GLP-1 medication costs surging by 47.7%. Semaglutide alone accounted for 6.6% of total drug insurance costs, with average claimants spending $2,489 on drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Additionally, there was a notable increase in ADHD-related claims among people aged 35 to 44, growing by 23.1% from the previous year.
Written by AI on 2026-09-29, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

In a recent report by insurance company GreenShield, drug insurance claims across Canada surged in 2025, with costs rising 9.5% overall compared to 2024. Specifically, expenses related to GLP-1 medications such as semaglutide and treatments for diabetes and weight management increased by a staggering 47.7%. Semaglutide-based drugs like Ozempic were particularly popular, accounting for 6.6% of total drug insurance costs in Canada. The report highlighted the significant impact of chronic diseases on benefit plans, noting that claims for diabetes medications priced between $2,000 to $2,999 increased by 594%, with claimants rising by 374.3%. Despite these high figures, GreenShield predicts costs could stabilize or decrease in 2026 due to the introduction of generic GLP-1 drugs.

Written for “Drug Insurance Claims Surge” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Drug Insurance Claims Surge
Health · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

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How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

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Claims extracted
17
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
29%
5 of 17 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
63/100
Global News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Health
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-29 · how these are computed

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Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Global News · 2691 article(s) · 11 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 11 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Uday Rana
34 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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🔮 Some employees would be offered transfers, but many would be out of work.
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🔮 “We don’t need them, but they need us,” Trump said, adding that Canada would be “doing something just like Greenland.”
🔮 Canadians shopping for a home say they are willing to live with mom and dad just to be able to afford a home, a new poll by the Royal Bank of Canada has found.
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Also by Uday Rana
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 34 articles by Uday Rana →

Topics

Canada GreenShield Ozempic Rybelsus Wegovy

Subjects

Canada GPE · 5× GreenShield ORG · 2× N.B. GPE · 1×

Narrative

The cost the company paid for GLP-1 medication like semaglutide skyrocketed with costs related to diabetes and weight management treatments increased 47.7 per cent compared to 2024, “highlighting the growing impact of chronic disease on benefit plans,” the report added.
framing: mixed · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-29
🔮 Total costs for diabetes medications in the $2,000 to $2,999 range increased 594 per cent in 2025, while the number of claimants rose 374.3 per cent, the report said, adding however that costs could come down in 2026 due to the introduction of generic GLP-1 drugs. Get weekly health news Ozempic was the most popular diabetes drug, accounting for 41 per cent of all claims for diabetes treatments.

Claims (17 extracted, 5 hedged)

Drug insurance claims across Canada are going up across the board, but they are soaring when it comes to the insurance claims for GLP-1 drugs and ADHD medication, a report by insurance company GreenShield said Tuesday. uncertain
report → go → GreenShield
The insurance cost borne by GreenShield in Canada rose 9.5 per cent in 2025, the report by the private insurance company said. asserted
report → bear → company
The report attributed the growth in large part to the growing demand for treatments related to diabetes, obesity, and other chronic conditions. asserted
report → attribute → diabetes
The cost the company paid for GLP-1 medication like semaglutide skyrocketed with costs related to diabetes and weight management treatments increased 47.7 per cent compared to 2024, “highlighting the growing impact of chronic disease on benefit plans,” the report added. asserted
report → pay → plans
Semaglutide accounted for 6.6 per cent of total drug insurance costs in Canada in 2025 and was the top product by total drug cost in 2025. asserted
Semaglutide → account → 2025
The average claimant spent $2,489 on drugs like Ozempic, Rybelsus and Wegovy for diabetes and weight management. asserted
claimant → spend → diabetes
Total costs for diabetes medications in the $2,000 to $2,999 range increased 594 per cent in 2025, while the number of claimants rose 374.3 per cent, the report said, adding however that costs could come down in 2026 due to the introduction of generic GLP-1 drugs. Get weekly health news Ozempic was the most popular diabetes drug, accounting for 41 per cent of all claims for diabetes treatments. uncertain
Ozempic → increase → treatments
However, its share slipped from 43.2 per cent in 2024. asserted
share → slip → 2024
- N.B. government lacks evidence collaborative-care clinics reach those in need: report asserted
clinics → lack → need
- As federal budget nears, Canada’s health ministers to meet to talk funding asserted
ministers → near → funding
- Canada extends travel restrictions related to Ebola outbreak for 60 days - Flu and COVID-19 vaccinations are underway. asserted
vaccinations → extend → days
Here’s each province’s approach asserted
approach → ’ → ?
The year 2025 also saw a big jump in the cost of two drugs used for ADHD medication, methylphenidate and lisdexamfetamine. asserted
year → see → medication
ADHD is slightly more prevalent among men (8.6 per cent) compared to women (7.4 per cent), but women saw the condition rise at a much faster rate from 2024 (15 per cent growth). asserted
condition → compare → 2024
The segment of population that saw the highest growth rate in ADHD claims in 2025 is people between ages 35 and 44, with claimants growing by 23.1 per cent compared to 2024. uncertain
claimants → see → 2024
This segment also saw the highest increase in claims for medication for anxiety and depression (6.8 per cent) as well as for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and psychosis. uncertain
segment → see → schizophrenia
Women were more likely to claim medication for anxiety and depression, with a prevalence rate of 4.3 per cent compared to men. uncertain
Women → claim → men
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