Employers Plan To Shift More Health Care Plan Costs To Employees For 2026 Plan Year 

Employers plan to shift more health care plan costs to employees for the 2026 plan year, according to a survey by Mercer, which is part of Marsh McLennan, a global leader in risk, strategy, and people. Employers projected that average health benefit costs for the 2026 plan year will increase about 5.8% compared to costs for the 2025 plan year. More than half (51%) of large employers (with 500 or more employees) said they were likely or very likely to shift costs to employees by raising deductibles or out-of-pocket maximums, according to the report. By comparison, in . . .