US employers keep passing rising healthcare costs to workers. There are better options

Choosing a healthcare plan can be extremely complicated, but it’s necessary to attract and retain good workers Again, healthcare costs are going up. According to a recent study from Mercer, total health benefit cost per employee in 2027 is expected to rise 8.2% – after employers’

Choosing a healthcare plan can be extremely complicated, but it’s necessary to attract and retain good workers Again, healthcare costs are going up. According to a recent study from Mercer, total health benefit cost per employee in 2027 is expected to rise 8.2% – after employers’ planned cost-reduction measures (without action, employers told Mercer their existing plans would rise about 11%). This would be the highest increase since 2003.

And, again, we see the same reaction from employers. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that even as healthcare costs have gone up, the share of these costs coming out employees’ paychecks has “shot up” even faster. Continue reading...