Highmark will start covering Noom — a subscription-based app that claims to enable weight loss by harnessing psychological research — at no cost for nearly 2 million members next year.
The health insurer announced the partnership Monday, touting it as a way for members to make lasting changes to their eating and exercise habits.
Nearly 74% of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, costing the health care system $173 billion a year and presenting “one of the nation’s most urgent health challenges,” according to Highmark.
Noom resists the “diet” label, though it does rely on a color-coded food tracking system to steer users toward healthier options. It also incorporates daily lessons, quizzes and activities.
As CEO Geoff Cook recently put it to news outlet Quartz, Noom wants to rely on gamified, daily engagement to become the “Duolingo of health.”
A year-long subscription to Noom’s weight-loss plan costs $209.
Highmark will fully cover Noom for members not on a Medicare Advantage Plan who have a body mass index of 25 or greater. The subscription is merely discounted below that threshold.
The hope is that people can better manage their weight or diabetes to avoid dangerous — and expensive — complications like heart disease, said Tracy Saula, chief product and experience officer at Highmark Health.
“A lot of money in the health care industry is spent on treating those diseases, but not nearly enough money in the industry is spent on saying, ‘how do we prevent those diseases?’ ” Saula said.
Cody Fair, Noom’s chief commercial officer, said Highmark members will be able to access “AI-powered tools like body scan technology” and “smart food logging.” Some features available to members aren’t included in the version of the app available to the general public.
The insurer will send out enrollment instructions closer to the program’s start.
From there, members must go through an initial assessment to determine which tier of the program is best for them. Some focus just on weight loss, while others include diabetes management or advice specific to people on GLP-1 drugs, like Ozempic.
The Noom app first launched in 2016 but didn’t achieve widespread popularity until the covid pandemic. As it gained users — eclipsing 45 million worldwide by 2021 — the app also amassed critics.
Maria Baker, vice president of health strategy and delivery at Highmark Health, said she’s aware of common concerns, including that Noom’s psychological tips could lead to eating disorders.
There are protocols in place to prevent this, according to Baker, including an initial assessment that looks at a person’s relationship with food.
“If someone is displaying eating disorder indicators, they are not enrolled in one of the programs, they are actually referred back to Highmark,” she said.
From there, Highmark might recommend the patient talk to a clinician or case manager to decide whether Noom is appropriate for them.
Noom says it has authored more than 40 peer-reviewed scientific articles supporting its methods. Still, some users and experts say Noom’s marketing underplays the degree to which it’s a traditional diet.
The New York City-based company also provides GLP-1 drugs, including through a “microdose program” that’s meant to address affordability challenges.
Highmark, whose researchers recently found weight-loss surgery often beats GLP-1 drugs on both cost and effectiveness, is not entrusting Noom with prescribing these medications.
Jack Troy is a TribLive reporter covering business and health care. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in January 2024 after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh. He can be reached at
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