Overview

• Benefits consultants Aon and WTW project employer health‑coverage costs will rise about 9–10% in 2026, the fastest pace since at least 2011.
• Insurers’ preliminary ACA marketplace filings point to average premium requests near 20% nationally, with proposals reaching about 66% in New York and topping 30% in Colorado, pending state review.
• Without congressional action to extend enhanced subsidies that end after 2025, some subsidized households could see net premiums jump by roughly 75% or more.
• Employers are preparing cost shifts to workers through higher payroll deductions and deductibles, exploring plan redesigns, and eyeing insurer or PBM changes, with a WTW survey showing 60% considering switches.
• Insurers cite rising hospital prices, higher utilization, and costly GLP‑1 drugs as key pressures; some employers are limiting coverage for weight‑loss prescriptions as the average family plan cost nears $25,500 a year.