U.S. employer health-care costs are projected to climb 9.5 per cent in 2026, pushing average plan costs above US$17,000 per employee, according to a new report by Aon. The report draws on the firm’s health value initiative database, which tracks plan costs and designs for more than 1,000 employers covering 7.7 million employees and US$120 […]
Global benefits costs are projected to increase by 10.4 per cent in 2025, according to a new survey by WTW. The survey, which polled nearly 350 insurers, found in North America, costs are projected to rise to 8.7 per cent in 2025, up from 8.1 per cent in 2024. In the U.S., insurers projected a […]
U.S. employers are projecting health benefits costs to increase by eight per cent for 2025, up from seven per cent in 2023, according to a new survey by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. It found employers cited several factors in rising costs, including catastrophic claims (20 per cent, up from 19 per cent […]
An article detailing a stark increase in the use of obesity medications among Canadian employer-sponsored benefits plan members was the most-read article on BenefitsCanada.com this week. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pension and investment stories of the past week: 1. Claims for obesity drugs increased 42% in 2023, 92% since 2020: report 2. How […]
More than two-thirds (69 per cent) of U.S. employers say they’re focused on managing health-care plan costs, following a projected cost increase of 6.4 per cent in 2024, according to a new survey by WTW. The survey, which polled more than 450 U.S. employers, found 63 per cent said they’re focused on enhancing mental-health and […]
In 2022, some of the top chronic conditions affecting group benefits plans were diabetes, obesity, depression and arthritis. Diabetes was the No. 1 ranked condition for drug claims in 2022, knocking rheumatoid arthritis down to the No. 2 spot, according to Telus Health’s annual drug plan trends report. And the 2023 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey […]
The average cost of employer-sponsored health benefits in Canada is expected to decline to five per cent in 2024, down from 7.5 per cent in 2023, according to a report by Aon. The report, which is based on insights from more than 100 global Aon offices that broker, administer or advise on employer-sponsored medical plans, found […]
The costs of U.S. employer-sponsored medical benefits are expected to rise seven per cent in 2024, according to a new survey by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. The survey found 79 per cent of U.S. employers’ benefits plans are self-funded (with or without stop-loss coverage), while 21 per cent are fully insured. The […]
The costs of employer-sponsored medical benefits in Canada are expected to rise 7.5 per cent in 2023, according to a new report by Aon. The report analyzed responses from more than 100 Aon offices that broker, administer or advise on employer-sponsored medical plans across the world. Consistent with last year, it found the medical conditions […]
Nearly two-thirds (62 per cent) of Canadian pre-retirees say the rising cost of living is preventing them from retiring when they’d like to, up from 56 per cent in 2021, according to a new survey by Fidelity Canada. The survey, which polled more than 1,900 Canadians aged 45 and older, found 55 per cent said […]