CPI report health care inflation rises
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Health Service Inflation increases the higher scope costs about what the biggest increase in health expenditures by major employers in 15 years.
According to the consumer price index of the Ministry of Labor, medical maintenance costs in August increased by 4.2% annually compared to an annual inflation rate annually. The cost of visits of doctors increased by 3.5%, while hospital and polyclinic services increased by 5.3%.
These price increases contribute to higher health insurance costs for 2026. According to early applications from the insurers, consumers who do not entitle the scope of health in the appropriate maintenance law exchanges may encounter double -digit premium increases for the next year.
Workers with employer health scope may also have to pay higher premium and pocket cost next year.
According to several business group surveys, which will be the highest health service inflation since 2010, large employers foresee that general health scope costs will increase by 9% in 2026.
More than half of the companies participating in the survey by a useful consulting firm Coral Earlier this year, he said that they were considering transferring some of these increases to the workers, but the health group is the largest employers of the largest employers. questionnaire They are looking for other ways to reduce costs.
“Employers, employers, from transferring costs to employees, we see the first indication that they can try to transfer some of them to employees, but again, as the last resort. They will try to pull as much arm as possible.” He said.
Employer Cost Drivers: Cancer Drugs and GLP-1s
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According to the consumer price index, which consider a number of common generic and brand drugs, prescription drug prices increased by 0.9% in August.
However, for large employers, expensive drugs are the main driving forces of higher health expenditures.
Companies participating in the survey by BGH envisage a 12% increase in pharmaceutical costs next year, over 11% of cancer drugs and diabetes and obesity treatments this year. Novo Nordisks Wegovy and Ely Lilly’s Zepbound.
Price weight loss drugs are a second to add a second, adding, “Cancers for the fourth year in a row, the best situation that directs health costs – cancers at a young age, later stages diagnoses,” he said.
“When it comes to the treatment of obesity, it has been the most foamy for the last two to three years and fueled most of these pharmaceutical expenditures.” He said.
According to Mercer, approximately two-thirds of employers with 20,000 workers or more workers offer access to weight loss drugs known as GLP-1. Less than half of the small employers planned to provide access in 2026.
With the increasing demand for drugs, more company tightens its affordability requirements and is starting to discover more affordable ways to provide access to employees, including the cash payment market.
Cash Payment GLP-1s
A Telehealth manager offering compound GLP-1s company, CNBC, some major employers, workers in the market to buy less in the market to use health saving accounts, he said.
“How worried they are [the drugs] The cost does not mean that their employees should not reach them. They just don’t want to pay for it, “the manager said, on the condition of anonymity because of the hidden nature of the discussions.
Health account data shows that more employees, including El Lilly’s, are directly directed to the consumer options. Lilly Direct and Novo Nordisks Novocare Both are online pharmacies that offer weight loss drugs in about half of the list prices of more than 1000 dollars.
According to the CEO of the Health Payments Processor Payient CEO, GLP-1 purchases are now the best cash payment expenditures category for costs that are not covered by fading expenditure and health savings accounts.
“We see a three folds in GLP-1-oriented providers from last year to this year of use. These are places like Lilly Direct, and this is a growing segment.
However, employers are concerned that the cash payment tendency is released from the equation lower -income workers, because they cannot cover pocket costs. This leads to controversy on how to get cash payment prices to help employees more fair access to employees.
Self -insured employers signed a contract with perfection centers for special medical care such as cancer therapy and common replacement. However, they cannot do the same for many drugs right now. Pharmacy Benefit Management companies or agreements with PBMS, both drug producers and employers will violate their contracts by using the direct cash payment process.
But employers are increasingly suppressing PBMs for better options, says BGH’s Kensay. Development pipeline starts to consider the types of new benefit managers who propose new payment models for drugs.
“There are some new assets – some new initiatives in this field – it is building products and solutions on behalf of a group of employers gathered to negotiate with manufacturers in some cells and gene therapies.” He said.
Payient’s Whorley calls the difficulty of making GLP-1s more affordable, stress test for employers and PBMs.
“When it comes to financing,” when it comes to financing, “changing people’s lives, increasingly forcing a choice of clinically effective drugs in the perfect kind of Venn diagram,” he said. “If we do it correctly, GLP-1s can provide a plan for all drugs such as GLP-1s.”
