Aon: U.S. Employer Health Care Costs Expected to Rise 9.5 Percent in 2026
Aon (NYSE:AON) projects U.S. employer health care costs to increase by 9.5% in 2026, marking the third consecutive year of near double-digit growth. The analysis reveals that total plan costs will exceed $17,000 per employee, with employers absorbing approximately 81% of these costs.
For 2025, employers face a 7.2% cost increase to $12,893 per employee, while employee premiums will rise 4.7% to $2,967. The technology sector shows the highest employer cost increase at 8.8%, while finance and insurance lead employee cost increases at 6.8%.
Key drivers include rising chronic conditions, increased hospital workforce capacity, and growing prescription drug costs, particularly GLP-1 therapies. Aon introduces new tools including Health Price Transparency Analysis and Health Risk Analyzer to help employers manage these escalating costs.
Aon (NYSE:AON) prevede che i costi sanitari per i datori di lavoro negli USA aumenteranno del 9,5% nel 2026, segnando il terzo anno consecutivo con una crescita vicina alla doppia cifra. L鈥檃nalisi indica che il costo totale del piano superer脿 i $17.000 per dipendente, con i datori di lavoro che copriranno circa l鈥�81% di tali spese.
Per il 2025 猫 previsto un aumento dei costi per le aziende del 7,2%, arrivando a $12.893 per dipendente, mentre i premi a carico dei dipendenti cresceranno del 4,7% fino a $2.967. Il settore tecnologico registra l鈥檌ncremento maggiore dei costi a carico dei datori di lavoro con un 8,8%, mentre finanza e assicurazioni guidano l鈥檃umento dei costi a carico dei dipendenti con un 6,8%.
I principali fattori sono l鈥檃umento delle malattie croniche, la maggiore capacit脿 della forza lavoro ospedaliera e l鈥檌ncremento dei costi dei farmaci, in particolare delle terapie GLP鈥�1. Aon presenta nuovi strumenti, tra cui Health Price Transparency Analysis e Health Risk Analyzer, per aiutare i datori di lavoro a gestire questi costi in crescita.
Aon (NYSE:AON) proyecta que los costos de salud para empleadores en EE.聽UU. aumentar谩n un 9,5% en 2026, marcando el tercer a帽o consecutivo con un crecimiento cercano a dos d铆gitos. El an谩lisis muestra que el costo total del plan superar谩 los $17,000 por empleado, con los empleadores asumiendo aproximadamente el 81% de esos gastos.
Para 2025, los empleadores afrontan un aumento del 7,2% en costos, hasta $12,893 por empleado, mientras que las primas a cargo de los empleados subir谩n un 4,7% hasta $2,967. El sector tecnol贸gico presenta el mayor incremento en costos para empleadores con un 8,8%, y finanzas y seguros lideran el aumento de los costos a cargo de los empleados con un 6,8%.
Los factores clave incluyen el aumento de enfermedades cr贸nicas, mayor capacidad de personal hospitalario y el crecimiento de los costos de medicamentos, especialmente las terapias GLP鈥�1. Aon introduce nuevas herramientas, como Health Price Transparency Analysis y Health Risk Analyzer, para ayudar a los empleadores a gestionar estos crecientes costos.
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Aon (NYSE:AON) pr茅voit une hausse des co没ts de sant茅 pour les employeurs am茅ricains de 9,5% en 2026, marquant la troisi猫me ann茅e cons茅cutive d鈥檜ne croissance proche de la double鈥慶hiffre. L鈥檃nalyse montre que le co没t total du r茅gime d茅passera 17 000 $ par employ茅, les employeurs prenant en charge environ 81% de ces co没ts.
Pour 2025, les employeurs font face 脿 une augmentation des co没ts de 7,2%, atteignant 12 893 $ par employ茅, tandis que les primes pay茅es par les employ茅s augmenteront de 4,7% pour atteindre 2 967 $. Le secteur technologique affiche la plus forte hausse des co没ts pour les employeurs avec 8,8%, tandis que la finance et l鈥檃ssurance enregistrent la plus forte hausse des co没ts 脿 la charge des employ茅s avec 6,8%.
Les principaux facteurs incluent la hausse des maladies chroniques, une augmentation des capacit茅s du personnel hospitalier et la croissance des co没ts des m茅dicaments sur ordonnance, en particulier les th茅rapies GLP鈥�1. Aon propose de nouveaux outils, tels que Health Price Transparency Analysis et Health Risk Analyzer, pour aider les employeurs 脿 ma卯triser ces co没ts croissants.
Aon (NYSE:AON) prognostiziert, dass die Gesundheitskosten f眉r US-Arbeitgeber im Jahr 2026 um 9,5% steigen werden 鈥� das dritte Jahr in Folge mit ann盲hernd zweistelliger Zunahme. Die Analyse zeigt, dass die Gesamtkosten des Plans mehr als $17.000 pro Besch盲ftigtem betragen werden, wobei Arbeitgeber etwa 81% dieser Kosten tragen.
F眉r 2025 stehen Arbeitgeber vor einem Kostenanstieg von 7,2% auf $12.893 pro Besch盲ftigtem, w盲hrend die Beitr盲ge der Arbeitnehmer um 4,7% auf $2.967 steigen. Der Technologiesektor verzeichnet den gr枚脽ten Anstieg der Arbeitgeberkosten mit 8,8%, w盲hrend Finanz- und Versicherungsunternehmen den h枚chsten Anstieg der Arbeitnehmerkosten mit 6,8% aufweisen.
Wesentliche Treiber sind die Zunahme chronischer Erkrankungen, eine h枚here Kapazit盲t des Krankenhauspersonals und steigende Kosten f眉r verschreibungspflichtige Medikamente, insbesondere GLP鈥�1鈥慣herapien. Aon stellt neue Werkzeuge wie die Health Price Transparency Analysis und den Health Risk Analyzer vor, um Arbeitgeber beim Management dieser steigenden Kosten zu unterst眉tzen.
- Employers continue to absorb 81% of healthcare costs, protecting employees from full cost impact
- New Health Price Transparency Analysis tool enables better cost management
- Advanced predictive analytics can identify 50% of high-cost claimants in advance
- Extensive data analysis covering 7.7 million employees and $120 billion in healthcare spend
- Healthcare costs projected to rise 9.5% in 2026, reaching record levels
- Third consecutive year of near double-digit cost increases
- Rising costs limit employers' ability to invest in other workforce benefits
- 5% of members account for 60% of all medical and pharmacy spend
- Costs unlikely to return to manageable levels due to ongoing healthcare landscape changes
The continued rise in chronic conditions, such as musculoskeletal and cardiovascular disease, alongside an increase in high-cost conditions like cancer remains a primary driver of escalating medical costs in the
Prescription drug spending is also rising, driven by greater use of costly brand-name and specialty medications. Notably, demand for GLP-1 therapies has surged, as uptake accelerates for treatment of diabetes, obesity and other chronic conditions.
"We are seeing medical cost inflation levels at their highest in years. But the overlooked reality is that employers continue to act as a stabilizing force. They absorb the bulk of the increase while making smart, targeted adjustments that protect employees and preserve plan value," said Farheen Dam, head of Health Solutions for
Employers are expected to continue absorbing the largest share of health care cost increases, mitigating the rising expenditures through strategies such as benefit design changes, employee payroll contribution increases, partnerships with point solution vendors and targeted chronic condition management. However, as medical inflation persists, it is also placing pressure on employers' ability to invest in other total rewards and people priorities 鈥� from compensation and career development to wider well-being initiatives 鈥� making it increasingly difficult to balance workforce needs holistically.
"Health care costs have evolved from a benefits challenge into a larger workforce strategy issue," said Dam. "This data is a powerful example of how we help employers understand the ripple effects of rising medical spend, not just on plan design, but on their ability to invest across total rewards and broader people priorities."
Increase to
Both employer and employee cost increases are the highest in the last five years, when average annual increases were 5.8 percent for employers and 3.9 percent for employees. On average, employers are responsible for about 81 percent of the plan cost, with employees covering the rest.
Plan Cost | 2024 | 2025 | Change from |
Employer Cost | 7.2听% | ||
Employee Premiums from Paycheck聽 聽 | 4.7听% | ||
Total Plan Cost** | 6.7听% | ||
Employer Subsidy | 80.9听% | 81.3听% | 0.4听% |
The analysis indicates that employees are expected to pay
Employee Costs*** | 2024 | 2025 | Change from |
Employee Premiums from Paycheck聽 聽 | 4.7听% | ||
Employee Out-of-Pocket Costs | 6.9听% | ||
Total Employee Costs | 5.5听% |
Increase by Industry to
The rate of health care cost increases vary by industry, as does the proportion of cost shared by the employer plan sponsor and employee. The technology and communications industry has the highest average employer cost increase at 8.8 percent, while the finance and insurance industry has the highest average employee cost increase at 6.8 percent.
The technology and communications industry and professional services industry have the lowest average change in employee contributions, after being in the top three last year. The retail and wholesale trade industry has the lowest increase in employer subsidy towards medical benefit cost.
Projected 2024 to 2025 Increase | 贰尘辫濒辞测别谤听 | Employee | 罢辞迟补濒听 |
Public Sector | 5.7听% | 4.6听% | 5.6听% |
Retail and Wholesale Trade | 5.4听% | 3.7听% | 5.0听% |
Finance and Insurance | 7.7听% | 6.8听% | 7.5听% |
Manufacturing | 7.2听% | 4.9听% | 6.8听% |
Health Care | 8.3听% | 6.3听% | 7.9听% |
Technology and Communications | 8.8听% | 2.2听% | 7.5听% |
Professional Services | 7.4听% | 2.9听% | 6.4听% |
* The projection is applicable in a status quo environment when employers do not make changes or implement care management programs. Aon consultants expect many employers to implement cost-saving changes or programs to help mitigate this increase. |
Looking Ahead: 2026 Projections
Many employers are concerned that health care cost trends will remain elevated as they prepare for 2026 and beyond, with costs projected to rise 9.5 percent* this year. Ongoing changes in the health care landscape and external economic pressures make it less likely that cost increases will return to more manageable levels in the future. To mitigate this uncertainty, employers are turning to data-based solutions which offer a clearer picture of workforce health care trends and what they can expect in years to come.
"Employers are facing a future of persistent cost pressure, and the old playbook won't cut it," said Debbie Ashford,
Optimizing Health Plan Spend through Price Transparency
Plan sponsors have a legal duty under ERISA to make informed, responsible decisions about how health plan dollars are used. Aon's new provides employers with greater visibility into provider pricing. By translating public pricing data into actionable insights, the solution enables employers to identify cost variation across networks and providers, make more informed contracting decisions and enhance the value of their health benefits.
Predictive Analytics Brings Greater Precision in Forecasting
Aon's data shows five percent of members account for 60 percent of all medical and pharmacy spend, and over 50 percent of high-cost claimants are predictable. Aon's uses the latest advanced machine learning methods to predict health plan claim spend and future high-cost claimants, providing increased precision to health care forecasts, giving clients the confidence they need to tailor their stop-loss provisions to the risk level they are most comfortable with.
"Health Risk Analyzer enables employers to understand their future claims risk and forecast health care costs with greater confidence," Ashford said. "By proactively identifying risks earlier and understanding the drivers, employers can adopt a more targeted approach to cost management. This enables them to more confidently plan for the enhanced care management of employees and ultimately work towards building a healthier and more resilient workforce."
Aon's Health Value Initiative
The historical information and projections shown above were developed using Aon's Health Value Initiative database, which captures healthcare costs and benefit designs for more than 1,000
About Aon
听(狈驰厂贰: AON) exists to shape decisions for the better 鈥� to protect and enrich the lives of people around the world. Through actionable analytic insight, globally integrated Risk Capital and Human Capital expertise, and locally relevant solutions, our colleagues provide clients in over 120 countries with the clarity and confidence to make better risk and people decisions that protect and grow their businesses.
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Disclaimer
The information contained in this document is solely for information purposes, for general guidance only and is not intended to address the circumstances of any particular individual or entity. Although Aon endeavors to provide accurate and timely information and uses sources that it considers reliable, the firm does not warrant, represent or guarantee the accuracy, adequacy, completeness or fitness for any purpose of any content of this document and can accept no liability for any loss incurred in any way by any person who may rely on it. There can be no guarantee that the information contained in this document will remain accurate as on the date it is received or that it will continue to be accurate in the future. No individual or entity should make decisions or act based solely on the information contained herein without appropriate professional advice and targeted research.
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FAQ
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