To help control health care costs associated with type 2 diabetes, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas has established a relationship with Virta Health.
Virta Health is a leader in type 2 diabetes reversal. It helps patients reduce A1c below diabetic thresholds while safely eliminating costly medications.
Virta can help reduce the number of employees who have type 2 diabetes, medical expenses caused by complications and medication costs.
Virta delivers
94%
of patients reduce or eliminate after one year.
$425
per patient per month cost savings after two years.
71%
of patients interact with the Virta app nearly every day during the first year.
Want to learn more? See everything Virta has to offer.
Resources for Group Administrators
Virta - Emphasize Efficacy- Flyer [PDF, 458KB]
Virta - Emphasize Efficacy - Mailer [PDF, 1.03MB]
Virta - Emphasize Efficacy - Poster [PDF, 1.71MB]
Virta - Emphasize Efficacy - Screen [PPTX, 999KB]
Virta - Food as Medicine - Flyer [PDF, 448KB]
Virta - Reframe Problem - Flyer [PDF, 936KB]
Virta - Reframe Problem - Poster [ PDF, 841KB]
Video: (51 min)
Webinar: GLP-1 Masterclass
New approaches to treating type 2 diabetes and obesity in the age of Ozempic and Wegovy
Recorded August 6, 2024
Webinar Q&A
Currently Virta is only available to Fully Insured and some Self-Insured members, however we are working to make Virta available to BCBSKS Medicare Advantage members effective 1/1/25.
These types of medical spas can offer these GLP-1s at a lower cost due to utilizing compounding pharmacies to access these medications rather than branded medications. Compounding pharmacies mix up GLP-1 injections from scratch using the same active ingredients as the branded medications, but they are not the same as the branded medications. Compounded semaglutide medications are not FDA approved. Their safety and effectiveness haven’t been established. So we can’t say for sure that you’ll get the same results as the FDA-approved products.
There are some newer products on the market that claim to reduce overall food cravings, help maintain a healthy weight, and enhance natural GLP-1 production. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and Virta does not have any experience working with these products. More information can be found in this PubMed article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9606548/
These types of online companies can offer these GLP-1s at a lower cost due to utilizing compounding pharmacies to access these medications rather than branded medications. Compounding pharmacies mix up GLP-1 injections from scratch using the same active ingredients as the branded medications, but they are not the same as the branded medications. Compounded semaglutide medications are not FDA approved. Their safety and effectiveness haven’t been established. So we can’t say for sure that you’ll get the same results as the FDA-approved products.
PCOS is not an FDA-approved indication for GLP-1 therapies and BCBSKS does not cover for non-FDA approved indications.
Yes, however Virta prefers to contract through our BCBSKS partnership so if you are interested in the Virta Obesity reversal program please communicate that to your BCBSKS account manager and we can work through next steps.
Yes, Virta offers a diabetes management program for Type 1 diabetes however it is not the same as our diabetes reversal program for Type 2 diabetes.
Very few health plans in the western U.S. are offering full unlimited access to GLP-1’s for weight loss for their populations due to the high cost; however, we are starting to see more employers and health plans consider some type of coverage for GLP-1’s due to high member demand. These strategies include a limited prescriber network, required co-therapy with a lifestyle management program, etc.