This should come as no surprise, but a recent survey by the Society for Human Resources Management found that employers expected healthcare premium costs to rise about 5% next year. That would put us back where we were before the Covid-19 upended the health market starting in 2020.
What’s more, overall healthcare costs continue to rise, costing both employers and their employees more for both premiums and services.
“Employers understand that health care affordability is a real issue for many employees, especially for lower-wage workers,” Tracy Watts, Mercer’s national leader for health care policy, told SHRM. “They are looking at a range of strategies that will keep more money in employees’ paychecks and remove cost barriers when care is needed.”
