Surveys show a majority of companies fear costs of their staff healthcare programs will increase by 9 percent next year, leaving employers to balance cost controls and employee coverage.

BY BRUCE CRUMLEY @BRUCEC_INC

Photo: Getty Images

New data indicates U.S. business owners fear 2026 will usher in considerably higher costs for their workplace healthcare programs. As a result, employees should plan on laying out more cash for medical coverage too, with companies already moving to limit the impact of those higher prices on their bottom lines by sharing them with staff.

Three different surveys reflect the degree to which employers expect — and dread — their workplace healthcare expenses to spike next year. Those include recently released findings by consulting firm Mercer, which showed the 1,700 companies it queried anticipated an average 9 percent increase in 2026 employee healthcare costs over 2025. A majority of businesses said they were already moving to alter plans in order to limit the bottom line impact of the higher prices. Still, most respondents estimated they’ll still pay 6.5 percent more to provide staff coverage next year than in 2025, even after modifying their programs by raising copays or deductibles for covered workers, among other things.

Some employers suspect those hikes may be even steeper. Nearly a fifth of Mercer’s businesses respondents thought the jolt may be as high as 14 percent if they don’t change their health coverage programs to........

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