In September 2026, reporting on Marsh’s survey of 1,800 US employers indicated that average health-benefit cost per employee is expected to rise by 8.2% in 2027, the largest annual increase since 2003. The forecast already assumes that employers will make plan changes to reduce spending. Without those measures, the increase could reach about 11%. Fifty-nine percent of surveyed employers plan new cost-saving actions for 2027, including changes to deductibles

Business Group on Health’s 2026 GLP-1 survey examines responses from 105 employer members collected in February and March 2026. The organisation reports that 67% of respondents cover GLP-1s for weight management. Among employers covering that use, 72% said they were likely to continue coverage in 2027, while 10% said they likely would not. The denominator and wording matter. The finding concerns the group already covering weight-management use, and describes

SHRM’s June 2025 employee-benefits analysis offers a benchmark for healthcare priorities and benefit design. It also illustrates why employers need to read survey questions and sample descriptions before turning a headline percentage into a market trend or a recommendation to change their own programme. Read the dated development The survey covered 3,969 HR professionals. Healthcare benefits were rated very or extremely important by 88%, and 97% reported organisational health