Lowell, Massachusetts, has proposed a 4.6% tax levy increase in its fiscal 2027 budget for health insurance costs, particularly those related to coverage of weight-loss drugs. The Group Insurance Commission plan, which provides coverage for GLP-1s, will see a $2.6 million increase in costs over the budgeted cost of the previous year. The GIC is one of the few large group insurance carriers in the country that still provides coverage of GLP medications without a medical waiver or reason. Other cost challenges include rising municipal pensions, debt service, state assessment and energy expenses. The city has between $12 and $9 million in excess levy capacity, or a gap between what it can build up and what it does, if the proposed tax rate is less than 4.5%.