Highmark Health and Noom Launch Innovative Weight Management Partnership

Highmark Health, a major healthcare provider and insurer, has announced a groundbreaking partnership with digital health platform Noom to offer comprehensive weight management support to its members. The collaboration, unveiled at the HLTH 2025 conference in Las Vegas, aims to address rising healthcare costs associated with obesity and related conditions.

Program Details and Eligibility

The partnership, set to launch in 2026, will provide nearly 2 million of Highmark's 7 million members across Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware, and New York with access to Noom's weight management programs at no additional cost. The initiative covers a range of services, including weight loss, weight management, diabetes prevention, and diabetes management.

Noom's platform leverages artificial intelligence tools such as smart food logging, body scan technology, and automated progress tracking to offer users real-time insights into their weight loss journey. The program is designed to help members improve their relationship with food and understand the behaviors behind their eating habits.

Preventative Healthcare Approach

Maria Baker, Vice President of Health Strategy and Delivery at Highmark Health, emphasized the preventative healthcare aspect of the partnership. "We are looking to take cost out of the system by helping to reduce the cost of members who are already sick. But this is about avoiding cost too," Baker stated. She noted that even a modest weight loss of 5% to 10% can significantly reduce the economic impact of obesity-related comorbidities.

The partnership aligns with Highmark's broader "Living Health" strategy, which aims to create a digital front door for members and shift the focus from managing sick individuals to preventing illness. Tracy Saula, Senior Vice President and Chief Product and Experience Officer at Highmark, explained the company's approach: "We try to pick who we truly love and think is the best, philosophically aligned with our strategy, and then deeply integrate them with each other and with us."

Expansion of Digital Health Solutions

Cody Fair, Chief Operating Officer at Noom, revealed plans to roll out additional partnerships with health plans next year. The collaboration with Highmark Health represents a significant step in the digital health platform's expansion strategy.

Notably, Noom's GLP-1 offerings will be available to all Highmark Health members who report currently taking GLP-1 medications. This integration aims to provide a holistic approach to weight management, combining pharmaceutical interventions with behavioral change programs.

As the healthcare industry continues to evolve, partnerships like this between insurers and digital health platforms are likely to play an increasingly important role in addressing chronic health conditions and reducing overall healthcare costs.