Employers Brace for Steepest Health Insurance Cost Increases in 15+ Years

Rising Premiums Ahead 

U.S. businesses are preparing for the sharpest jump in health insurance costs in more than a decade. Consulting firms Aon and WTW project employer coverage costs will rise 9.2%–9.5% in 2026. For context, the average cost of a family plan is already about $25,500 per year—comparable to the price of a small car. 

After years of steady increases, this surge is hitting employers especially hard. “It’s an unsustainable number for a lot of employers,” said Shawn Gremminger, CEO of the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions. 

What’s Driving the Spike  

Several forces are behind these premium hikes: 

• Rising hospital costs due to delay care because of cost or inconvenient access.  

• More serious conditions such as cancer among working-age employees. 

• Expensive drugs, particularly GLP-1 treatments for weight loss and diabetes. 

Even when employers try tactics like redesigning plans, consultants say these only shave off a point or two—leaving the bulk of the increases intact. 

How Employers Are Responding 

To manage costs, many companies are making difficult choices: 

• Shifting expenses to employees through higher payroll deductions, deductibles, and out-of-pocket maximums. For example, Kall Morris Inc. saw costs jump 20% this year and raised its family out-of-pocket maximum from $8,150 to $10,000. 

• Shopping for new vendors, with 60% of large employers considering a change in their insurer or pharmacy-benefit manager. 

• Reevaluating coverage by cutting or limiting access to certain high-cost treatments. Mutual of Omaha, for instance, stopped covering GLP-1 drugs for weight loss. 

It’s a balancing act: keeping healthcare affordable for employees while protecting company budgets. 

Why Soaring Premiums Don’t Have to Be Your Only Option 

The math is simple: every claim counts. Routine visits, urgent care trips, and recurring prescriptions all pile into your group’s claims history, raising renewal rates. When employees delay care because of cost or inconvenience, conditions worsen and drive expensive hospitalizations. And as drug costs rise and medical inflation compounds, it gets harder to break the cycle. 

But you don’t have to accept runaway premiums as inevitable. RevDoc offers access to a smarter pathway—helping relieve pressure on your insurance plan while improving the care experience for your team: 

• Fewer small claims: Routine care, preventive visits, and wellness services are available through the RevDoc platform outside of insurance, which can help reducee claims volume. 

• Better access: Transparent pricing, easy booking (in-home or virtual), and functional medicine options encourage employees to seek care earlier. 

• Managing drug costs: The RevDoc platform supports alternative pricing and access options for certain high-cost treatments, such as GLP-1s, which can help employers better manage risk. 

• Employee satisfaction: A modern, convenient healthcare experience can support higher satisfaction and retention. 

• More predictable renewals: With fewer claims on the books, employers face less volatility and steadier cost growth. 

RevDoc doesn’t replace insurance—it helps it work smarter. Insurance still covers the big, unpredictable events, while the RevDoc platform helps address everyday needs that often drive premiums higher. 

The Bottom Line 

Premium increases are real—and they hurt. But they don’t have to hit as hard. With RevDoc: 

• Small, predictable claims are reduced. 

• Preventive and wellness care becomes easier to access. 

• High-cost therapies are managed more efficiently. 

• Employees are happier and benefits dollars can stretch further. 

Pairing RevDoc with a smart insurance plan design gives you the best of both worlds: protection for major medical events and everyday care that can be more affordable,  transparent, and supportive of workforce health.