Employers can expect a 6.7% increase in total health benefit costs in 2026 — the steepest in 15 years — according to the 2025 National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans from consulting firm Mercer. The cost per employee is slated…
Research & Analysis
A recent study from St. Louis-based Washington University assessed administrative burdens that low-wage individuals face with Medicaid and SNAP. While issues with SNAP were generally more prevalent, Medicaid had unique challenges. Here are five takeaways on Medicaid burdens: 1. The…
A Nov. 10 study found risk-based Medicare Advantage contracts had little effect on healthcare delivery. The University of Pennsylvania’s Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics reviewed Medicare Advantage insurer data to better understand the ramifications of moving from fee-for-service to…
Use of a grocery card benefit by Medicare Advantage dual-eligible enrollees correlated to increased office visits, according to an October study from the Elevance Health Public Policy Institute. “If you’re not as concerned about procuring food … you have more…
Eighty-eight percent of Americans are content with their health coverage, yet nearly half rate the country’s overall system a “C” or worse, according to a Nov. 6 survey from health insurance marketplace eHealth. The survey collected input from 1,524 adults…
Advertisement
Health plans found that 39% of provider’s surprise billing disputes were ineligible for arbitration and never should have been submitted to the federal independent dispute resolution process, according to a survey published Oct. 24. The No Surprises Act established the…
On average, in 2022, Medicare Advantage enrollees had plans that covered only 48% of the physicians that traditional Medicare beneficiaries could access, according to an Oct. 27 KFF report. The study reviewed 4,200 individual HMO/PPO MA plans that covered 20.3…
Coverage for drugs recently approved by the FDA can take months to solidify, according to the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review’s “Launch Price and Access Report,” published Oct. 23. Researchers reviewed 24 drugs from Boston-based Tufts Medical Center’s specialty…
The high cost of GLP-1 drugs have thrown a curveball at payer strategy. Employers providing health insurance are also grappling with the fallout. From January to July, Davis Research interviewed business owners and human resource and benefits managers at 1,862…
In 2025, the average annual premium for family health insurance reached $26,993, according to KFF’s employer health benefits survey. From January to July, Davis Research interviewed business owners and human resource and benefits managers at 1,862 firms for the survey.…