Overview

• 51% of large employers plan to increase employee cost-sharing in 2026 by raising deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums, up from 45% for 2025.
• Health benefits expenses are expected to climb nearly 6% in 2025 following a 4.5% rise in 2024, driven by AI-driven billing and an aging workforce.
• Seventy-seven percent of employers identify the growing cost of GLP-1 weight-loss medications as their top pharmacy concern and may require stricter eligibility or documentation next year.
• Regulatory pressure on pharmacy benefit managers has 34% of firms considering a switch and 40% evaluating alternative contracting models to trim drug spending.
• Employers are also expanding non-clinical benefits, with more than a third increasing employee assistance programs and over half providing child and elder care resources.