Government advisers have warned that weight-loss injections could provoke the pension age to rise as formerly overweight works will now live longer.
With 1.5 million Britons now using weight-loss drugs, such as Ozempic and Mounjaro, experts have pointed out that as the number of people living longer rises, so too will the country’s pension bill.
1.5 million Britons now use weight-loss drugs, such as Ozempic and Mounjaro
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Last month, Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced plans to make the so-called “fat jabs” more widely accessible for free on the NHS under a 10-year plan for the health service.
Mr Streeting said: “Weight-loss jabs are the talk of the House of Commons, half my colleagues are on them and are judging the rest of us.”
The Health Secretary also noted that obesity costs the NHS billions each year and argued that “our widening waistbands” are having a negative impact on the economy.
“Obviously everyone can see the health benefits. But some people in the Treasury are worried about the impact on the pension crisis. Obesity is a big killer,” a Government source told The Mail on Sunday.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced plans to make the so-called “fat jabs” more widely accessible for free on the NHS
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PA“And if people are starting to live a lot longer because they’re not overweight that’s quickly going to become an issue.
“Especially if we’re going to see it regularly being prescribed on the NHS, as Wes is advocating.”
The NHS rolled out Mounjaro for patients in June, but the criteria for those who are eligible is currently stringent.
To be able to access the drug, patients will need a BMI greater than 40 alongside four out of five of weight-related conditions of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, obstructive sleep apnoea and high blood pressure.
WEIGHT LOSS JABS – READ LATEST HEADLINES:
The NHS rolled out Mounjaro for patients in June, but the criteria for those who are eligible is currently stringent
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PAMr Streeting hopes that increased use of the slimming jabs could ease pressure on the NHS’ budget, which will rise o £192 billion next year.
According to a four-year study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, jab users suffering from obesity and heart-related conditions found the likelihood of death, heart attack or stroke lowered by 20 per cent.
The state pension age will rise next year from 66 to 67 and will be set to increase again between 2044 and 2046 to 68 years old.
However, a review into pensions by the Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall set to to take place coupled with a growing strain on the public purse means that the age could be raised further.
Deputy director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies said that not raising the state pension age could “add a further spending pressure” for the Government.
He said: “Increases in the state pension age are not terribly popular.
“But given that the last two reviews both recommended the increase being brought forward, we might be a bit surprised if there was a recommendation that it not be brought forward at all.
“I personally am going to look out for whether there is a pathway to eventually raising it to 69, even if that is quite a long way off.”
