Employers are bracing for an expected 8.2% increase in per-employee benefit cost in 2027, even after factoring in planned cost-control measures. This not only would be the fifth-consecutive year of elevated cost growth but also would be the largest annual increase since 2003, according to the 2026 National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans from Marsh. “Few ...
More employers are putting GLP-1 coverage on the chopping block as they prepare for a historic year of healthcare cost hikes. New figures from the Business Group on Health (BGH) find that 14% of employers have already dropped or plan to drop coverage of GLP-1s for weight management by 2027. Overall, fewer employers are covering ...
There has been an increased participation in Health Spending Accounts (HSA) as 83% of employees contributed to their accounts in 2025, up from 73.4% in 2024. That’s according to The Plan Sponsor Council of America’s (PSCA) 2026 Health Savings Account Survey. Despite the growth, only one-quarter of employers position HSAs as part of a long-term retirement ...
As “biohacks” like peptides, cold plunges and high-tech wearables grow in popularity, some advocates promote the idea of dramatically extending human life — but others say it’s better to focus on more healthy years rather than living forever. Dr. Annu Navani — chief medical officer at Le Reve Wellness in San Jose, California, where she leads advanced ...
The Trump administration on Monday announced that it has reached agreements with nine midsized pharmaceutical companies to offer most-favored nation (MFN) prices for prescription drugs to U.S. consumers. The agreements will provide every state Medicaid program access to MFN drug prices on products made by these companies. Alcon, Astellas Pharma, BeOne Medicines, BridgeBio, CSL, Kyowa Kirin, ...
A health insurance giant is trying to show physicians and policymakers that it’s serious about reducing the impact of prior authorization reviews on providers and patients. UnitedHealth Group’s UnitedHealthcare unit has posted a list of procedure codes for about 1,700 procedures that will no longer be subject to routine prior authorization review requirements. The simpler items on ...