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

Cigna in March 2018 announced it will acquire pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts in a $67 billion cash and stock deal.  According to Cigna CEO David Cordani, the merger “will drive health care costs down while improving the quality of care.” The proposed merger would allow Cigna to lower its costs by in-sourcing pharmacy benefit management (PBM) services, and to absorb Express Scripts’ profits. How can Cigna lower its