Workplace Health Trends to Watch in 2026

The Business Group on Health has released its projection of workplace health trends that it believes will take place in 2026. 

Here are a few. (Excerpted below)

2026 will be characterized by one of the most challenging affordability and cost management years in recent history.

Employers anticipate a median 9% health care trend in the U.S., which is expected to drop to only 7.6% with plan design changes. These impending increases are on top of back-to-back years of actual health care costs that have exceeded employer forecasts.

Multinational employers could see double-digit increases in their benefit costs in some regions - making health care costs a global burden. The volatile cost environment is the result of many factors, including vast chronic condition needs, increasing medical and pharmacy prices and a fragmented health care ecosystem where complexity only proliferates year over year.

Employers will get “back to basics” to improve health at scale.

Chronic diseases continue to represent top cost drivers for employers, with benefit leaders anticipating even higher condition management needs in the future due to worsening population health and an increase in the proportion of older employees in the workforce. Thus, there is greater urgency to emphasize the foundational aspects of employee health and well-being: disease prevention and condition support rooted in evidence and proven outcomes.

Additionally, employers will assess opportunities to engage employees more effectively in preventive care. Offering alternative health plan options and/or incentive strategies that financially reward employees for actions like utilizing primary care and getting age-appropriate screenings may be an avenue some employers explore to increase adherence and promote employee ownership of their health.

As employers go "back to basics" in 2026, they’ll also scrutinize well-being programs—particularly those that address some of the costliest conditions such as diabetes, cardiac conditions and obesity—to find positive clinical and economic outcomes based on their own workforce’s experiences to document each program's value. This step will be necessary to ensure that the offerings in place offer value to the company, especially due to the heightened visibility of well-being programs among senior leaders.

AI is rapidly gaining traction in how health and well-being programs are delivered by employers and partners.

AI has the potential to revolutionize benefits management by reducing the administrative burden, enhancing communication and refining personalization, as well as by augmenting the patient experience through care delivery and precision of diagnosis. AI will lead to streamlining in the way benefits are administered in 2026, allowing employers to spend more time on strategic efforts. Employees may expect an AI-powered experience when navigating benefits, programs and health care options.

There are a number of actions that employers should be taking in 2026 regarding AI if they haven’t already done so. They should require current and prospective vendors to detail and demonstrate how AI can support their health and well-being goals. Some employers have found success in leveraging internal efforts to deploy AI; others have focused on learning from early adopters of AI about how to reshape employee communications, benefits and programs.