Dive Brief:

The average cost of employer-sponsored health insurance climbed to $17,496 in 2025, up 6% from the year before and in excess of rates of inflation and wage growth, according to Mercer’s recent 2025 National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans .

Costs are projected to continue to rise another 6.7% in 2026, making the average cost per worker $18,500, the survey found.

A “sharp growth” in prescription drug spending, including pricey GLP-1 weight-loss medications, helped fuel the increase, Mercer said. Prescription drug spending was up an average 9.4% among large employers, those with 500 or more workers, while GLP-1 coverage for weight loss among the same group climbed to 49% in 2025 from 44% the previous year.

Dive Insight:

Reports of ever-increasing healthcare costs

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