Employer-sponsored health insurance plans are expected to rise between 6% and 7% next year, according to a survey from the consulting firm Mercer.

New York

A recent analysis by consulting firm Mercer indicates that employer-sponsored health insurance premiums in the United States are expected to rise between 6 and 7 percent, which is about twice the current rate of inflation. This increase would bring the average annual cost for individuals to approximately $2,400, about $150 more than the previous year. 

The primary factors driving the increase include higher demand for expensive new treatments, such as GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, and an aging workforce that requires more medical services. Employers are likely to face higher costs, with some shifting more expenses to employees through larger deductibles and co-pays. Employer-based insurance covers about 60 percent of the U.S. population, and while most costs are subsidized by employers, individuals may still feel the impact through higher out-of-pocket expenses.

Health insurance premiums set to jump next year, survey finds

New analysis shows health care premiums could rise twice as much as inflation next year. The consulting firm Mercer expects employer-sponsored plans to jump between 6 and 7 percent. That means individuals would pay on average $2,400 for the year, which is about $150 more than in 2025. Here to break it all down is CBS News Money Watch Associate Managing Editor Amy Peakey who reported on this. Amy, you write that demand on GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic are part of the reason for this. Why is that? Yeah, I mean part of the reason for the increase is an increased use of expensive new treatments and GLP-1 drugs are part of that. They're new, more people want them, there's a lot of demand for them, but they're expensive. And so, you know, that's adding to insurance plans costs. There are other treatments too that are new and expensive but save lives like new oncology treatments and that's also increasing the cost of insurance. So all of that together plus an aging worker population means that it's just more expensive to insure people today than it was last year or the year before. And so you're seeing this increase that's, yeah, twice the rate of inflation. It's up about 6 to 7 percent for 2026. Inflation right now is about 2.93 percent. And so you mentioned the aging workforce. What more can you tell us about that? Yeah, I mean, it's just demographics of the U.S. I mean, of course, you have the baby boomer generation, but once you hit 65, you can go into Medicare. So then you're not covered by your employer. But, you know, in general, the American workforce is getting older. You've got millennials are getting older. Gen X is getting older. And, you know, when you get older, you tend to use medical services more. So that's just putting more demand on insurance as well. And that unfortunately, you know, that's not going to change. That's sort of the way the U.S. is going right now. So that the increased use of higher cost medications and treatments, all that together means, Mercer told me, they don't think these price pressures are going to ease anytime soon. And so could costs rise to the point where people just can't simply afford coverage anymore? Well, you know, one thing to point out, this is employer based insurance and your employer typically pays most of that insurance. So Mercer told me that the employer is actually probably going to face costs of $18,000 next year. So, you know, as a single person, if you only have coverage for yourself, it's about $2,400 next year. Your employer is picking up most of that. So what you're seeing is it is a big cost pressure for employers. And what you're seeing is employers are saying, all right, we don't want to put too much of a burden on our employees. How can we change this? So what you will see next year, look at your plans very closely when open enrollment starts, as you might see plans with bigger deductibles, bigger co-pays, means that you're paying more out of pocket. So it's not only what you're paying out of your paycheck for your premium, but it's also when you go to the doctor, you might have a higher co-pay, you might have a bigger deductible. So you will be feeling that as well. You know, generally people want to be insured and employer based insurance covers about 60 percent of the U.S. population. It's a lot of Americans. Given that it's subsidized, they probably won't get that out. Important reporting. Amy Peakey, thank you.

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