GlobeNewswire·Nov 9, 2026, 6:30 AM ET

The Healthcare Cost Crisis is Reshaping Employer Benefits Strategies, Brown & Brown Survey Reveals

BRO

Brown & Brown released its 2027 Employer Health and Benefits Strategy Survey findings based on responses from nearly 1,000 US employers with 200+ employees surveyed between July 21 & August 28, 2026.
Employers anticipate an average 10% annual rise in healthcare costs for both 2026 & 2027, prompting aggressive reviews of core benefits & plan designs.
Controlling organizational health benefit costs is now the top strategic priority for 44% of employers, surpassing cost control for employees & talent retention.
The primary challenge reported is managing rising benefit costs while preserving employee value.
Top five cost containment strategies include benefits audits, evaluating transparent PBM vendors, utilizing strong data analytics, evaluating medical stop-loss plan designs, & conducting medical/pharmacy RFPs, all with adoption rates between 82% & 83%.
78% of employers include well-being programs in their healthcare strategies, 79% plan to increase related budgets, & 80% prioritize improving access to behavioral health providers.
45% of employers cover GLP-1 weight-loss medications, but over 77% of this group impose restrictions such as clinical criteria beyond FDA guidelines (45%) or mandatory lifestyle program participation (33%).
Survey data will be integrated into Brown & Brown's COMPASS intelligence ecosystem to support informed decision-making & cost reduction.
A webinar reviewing these results is scheduled for November 11, 2026, from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm ET, covering topics like AI impact, digital health, & pharmacy benefit management.

Company: Brown & Brown, Inc.
Keywords: NYSE:BRO, Brown & Brown, Inc., Brown & Brown, NYSE:BRO, employee benefits, health and benefits strategy, survey