It’s no secret that employers are struggling when it comes to healthcare costs. A new survey from Willis Towers Watson revealed that more than half of employers were over budget by an average of 4.5 percentage points in 2024.

The survey, released Monday, received responses from 417 employers with over 100 employees. About 81% were self-insured and 19% were fully-insured.

It found that employers don’t expect any relief soon either. They anticipate their healthcare costs to increase by 9.1% in 2026 (before making plan changes), compared to 8.1% in 2025 and 7% in 2024. After making plan changes, these numbers are 8%, 7% and 6%, respectively. The top drivers of these costs are pharmacy costs (specifically specialty drugs and GLP-1s), high-cost claimants and chronic conditions.

When asked

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