CNN
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According to a new survey published on Wednesday that employers plan to switch more costs to workers in 2026 due to high health care costs for years.
According to MERCER’s health and benefits strategies, more than half of employers in 2026 plans to adjust health insurance services to increase their staff shares for employer’s costs.
Mercer has been more reluctant to add the financial burden on workers as the tight labor market and living expenses have increased in recent years, Mercer said. About 45%of employers reported that more expenses will be shifted to employees in 2025.
Beth Umland, the research director at Mercer’s Health and Benefits Business, said, “Employers are at a time when we can’t do other harms so that we can’t pass a part of the cost increase.
The company expects that the cost of health benefits will increase almost 6% this year after an increase of 4.5% in 2024.
Mercer, the US chief health insurance bill, said that using artificial intelligence to increase the amount of usage of patients and doctors who use artificial intelligence.
Another area of cost problems is very popular but very expensive is the application range of anti -besity GLP -1 drugs. Nearly two -thirds of the company with more than 20,000 workers provided such insurance in 2024, and 44%of employers with more than 500 workers were.
UMLAND says that the employer speed that adds this coverage will be slow in 2026, UMLAND said.
Companies may be reluctant to stop offering benefits, but they may need narrow or more documents. Workers have become more difficult to access, Patel said.
Meanwhile, employers are doing their best to provide employees with mental health services, according to a survey. More people offer field employee support program counseling services. About 35%will increase in 29%this year. It also offers more sessions to move to 6-8 sessions than traditional 3-5 times.
In addition, as employers demand that employees will return to the office more and more, the company is more interested in providing nursing or elderly nursing benefits, Mercer said. About 54%of large -scale employers will provide or provide at least one childcare resource, including a platform, including parenting search, backup childcare service or tuition discount.
Similarly, 58%of large -scale employers offer or plan at least one type of elderly nursing benefits, including sorrow counseling, a platform for access to sorrow counseling, nursing nursing, or backup elderly nursing services.
About 59%of employers will provide at least one resource to support women’s reproductive health, including lactation, high -risk pregnancy and preliminary family plan.
Employees will generally learn more about next year’s health care benefits during the annual public registration period.
