Employers predict healthcare costs will increase about 9% for 2026, which could be offset to 7.6% with plan design changes, according to a new report from Business Group on Health’s Employer Health Care Strategy Survey .

Contributing to cost increases will be more employee use of GLP-1 drugs for obesity, more patients receiving care for cancer and increased use of mental health services, the report finds.

“For many years, we’ve seen the healthcare industry grapple with rising costs, in part because of unit cost, in part because of volume of services, and in part because of the delivery system and infrastructure challenges when it comes to the employer healthcare market,” Ellen Kelsay, president and CEO of Business Group on Health, said in an interview.

The Business Group on Health sur

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