In 2027, Employers Will Face the Highest Health Benefit Cost Increases Since 2003 – Is This the Beginning of Workplace Health Erosion?
By Jane Sarasohn-Kahn on 8 September 2026 in ACA, Affordability, Business and health, Corporate responsibility, Corporate wellness, Employee benefits, Employers, Financial health, Financial toxicity, Financial wellness, GLP-1s, Health and wealth, Health benefits, Health care industry, Health Consumers, Health costs, Health Economics, Health finance, Health insurance, Health Plans, Home economics, Jobs and health, Medical bills, Medical debt, Money and health, Out of pocket costs, Pharmaceutical, Pharmacy, Prescription drugs, Specialty drugs, Universal health care, Weight loss, Workplace benefits
Bloomberg, Deloitte, Disney, Starbucks, and Zoom all announced plans to cut health care benefits looking toward 2027 business plans. Whether this is a blip in the 80+ year old story of the unique employer-sponsored health care market in America or the beginning of a long end-game for U.S. health insurance at the workplace remains to be seen. But the forecasts of near-double-digit health premium increases employers will confront in 2027 are potent, forcing companies to, at least, re-visit and alter health benefit designs to surgically target specific cost-increasing categories — such as GLP-1
I'm grateful to be part of the Duke Corporate Education faculty, sharing perspectives on the future of health care with health and life science companies. Once again, I'll be brainstorming the future of health care with a cohort of executives working in a global health care enterprise.
Jane joined host Dr. Geeta "Dr. G" Nayyar and colleagues to brainstorm the value of vaccines for public and individual health in this challenging environment for health literacy, health politics, and health citizen grievance. Click onto the Pfizer Value of Vaccines site and you can watch four episodes covering the challenges with adult vaccination, the employer and health plan member's journey to vaccination, reimbursement, and collaborating for proactive prevention.
Jane will be working with EU- and UK-based clients in September and October 2026, collaborating with stakeholders in digital health, public/community health, retail health, and growing opportunities for health-at-home. Stay tuned to her updates here on Health Populi on-the-ground as she lives the digital nomadic work-life in Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and in London.