“Weight-loss drugs. Cutting-edge gene therapies. In vitro fertilization. All are life-changing, but expensive, medical options that are helping to drive up health care costs next year for employers and their employees,” Ann Carrns writes over at The New York Times. “The annual open enrollment period for health benefits is now underway at many workplaces. According to surveys by industry groups and benefit consulting firms, employers expect the costs of those benefits to jump as much as 9 percent on average in 2025, after years of more modest increases. But workers probably won’t be asked to shoulder them all. In recent years, employers have assumed much of the cost increases, probably because of a tight job market, said KFF, a nonprofit health research group. And employers may take steps to rein in their costs. KFF found that while employers have seen the total annual cost of premiums for family coverage rise 24 percent over the past five years, the amount that workers pay rose 5 percent, or less than $300 on average. Workers contribute about a quarter of the average $25,572 annual family premium, or about $6,300. About 154 million Americans rely on their employers for health insurance, according to KFF. Aon, a business services firm, found that while employers’ health plan costs rose 6.4 percent from 2023 to 2024, employees paid 3.4 percent more in premiums. ‘We expect something similar will happen into 2025 as well,’ said Debbie Ashford, the North America chief actuary for health solutions at Aon.” Ann Carrns, “Expect higher costs for your health care benefits next year,”
