# OPM Requires Behavioral Therapy for GLP-1 Coverage

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is requiring Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) and Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) carriers, beginning in the 2027 plan year, to document members’ participation in Intensive Behavioral Therapy (IBT) before and during anti-obesity medication treatment. The described schedule is 12–22 sessions annually for adults and at least 26 contact hours for eligible children and adolescents. This changes how carriers administer coverage and creates operational considerations for health plans and behavioral-health service providers. Enrollee comments describe existing program rules, appointment delays, provider changes, and data-sharing concerns, but these reports do not establish uniform implementation across plans.

- FEHB and PSHB carriers should determine whether existing programs, including digital and other weight-management services, meet the documented IBT requirement and can provide timely, clinically appropriate care.
- Health plans and service providers should evaluate capacity, patient transitions, data handling, and coordination with prescribing clinicians ahead of the 2027 plan year.
- Providers such as Noom and CVS, and carriers such as CareFirst, may be relevant to plans assessing existing or potential service arrangements; the signal does not identify a specific solicitation or contract opportunity.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Healthcare
**Topics:** Regulatory Compliance
**Published:** October 16, 2026

### Government Entities
- Office of Personnel Management (OPM)

### Vendors
- Noom (Digital weight-management program provider through Noom Med)
- CVS (Weight-management program provider through a CVS program)
- CareFirst (FEHB plan carrier)

### Key Quotes
> This took away my board-certified doctor’s ability to prescribe medication that will be covered, gives me less reason to use local healthcare facilities, and means my health information (labs, habits, etc.) is handed over to a private third party to make those decisions.
> — CareFirst enrollee (commenter; username not provided)

> I have had my insurance discount eligibility for the GLP-1 canceled twice this year due to this program not having appointments available in sufficient time.
> — MHBP enrollee (commenter; username not provided)

### Sources
- [New OPM rules for FEHB GLP-1 coverage](https://www.reddit.com/r/FedEmployees/comments/1x77n2g/new_opm_rules_for_fehb_glp1_coverage) - reddit-fedemployees