Brown & Brown has published the results from its Employer Health and Benefits Strategy Survey for 2025.
The survey gathered responses from over 760 employers across various industries and regions, all with at least 200 US-based employees. It provides insights into current and planned strategies related to employee health and benefits.
When asked to identify their top five strategic priorities for health benefit programs, 65% of respondents selected attracting and retaining a competitive workforce as their highest priority. Controlling employee health benefit costs (62%) and organizational health benefits costs (60%) followed closely.
To support the priority of attracting and retaining talent, many employers reported implementing or planning programs addressing mental health.
For 2026, 41% are using or considering Centers of Excellence to improve mental health support, 41% are focused on enhancing provider quality, and 44% aim to increase provider access. Other areas gaining attention include expanding fertility coverage, offering paid parental leave, and strengthening disability coverage.
Employers also highlighted cost control strategies planned over the next three years. The most common approach is conducting medical and pharmacy request-for-proposals (RFPs), cited by 81% of respondents. Other widely cited cost-saving measures include evaluating medical stop-loss captives (76%), using audits and assessment tools (75%), increasing transparency tools (71%), and introducing virtual primary care services (70%).
Regarding prescription drug costs, the survey addressed employer policies on GLP-1 medications used for weight loss. While 70% of employers provide coverage for GLP-1s, 78% of those currently apply controls such as formulary restrictions and site-of-care requirements.
For 2026, 85% plan to add further restrictions, including step therapy and lifestyle management programs.
“The findings from our inaugural survey further exemplify the balancing act many employers face,” said Chana Bieker, senior vice president and national account leader for benefits at Brown & Brown. “Offering competitive health benefit programs that meet the needs of an increasingly diverse workforce while at the same time managing ever-increasing costs requires a holistic and multi-year strategic view of benefits that goes well beyond traditional cost shifting to employees.”
