The top three benefit trends for 2025 include cost management, personalization of care, and improved data-driven health outcomes. Learn how these trends are impacting companies providing health insurance coverage for a diverse multigenerational workforce.
It’s not your imagination. Health insurance premiums are rising again with an average 8% increase in the group insurance marketplace1. Contributing to the increase are factors including inflation, cost of prescription drugs, and increased spending on behavioral health services. Employees across the U.S. will pay 21% of their health insurance premiums via payroll deduction in 2025.2
The cost of prescription drugs has become prohibitive in some cases, particularly for innovative new drugs and therapies. One example is GLP-1 medications for obesity for which generic options are not yet readily available.
High cost, coupled with high demand, is a predictor of continued increased spending for years to come. It comes as no shock, then, that drug benefits are a main driver of increased health insurance costs.
It’s important to consider Total Cost of Care (TCoC) when choosing or renewing your employee health plan. Highmark’s integrated pharmacy benefit strategy can save employers hundreds of dollars per employee per year.
Behavioral health care is a must-have for employee health benefits programs in 2025. The need and cost for care skyrocketed during the pandemic and continues to increase. Meanwhile, mental health care providers can be hard to find in some areas.
Highmark collaborates with Spring Health to provide access to a virtual and in-person network of 6,000 counselors and therapists. This Mental Well-Being solution has an activity-based, fee-for-service structure which keeps costs down. There is no upfront investment needed as employers only pay when an employee uses the solution.
Different employees have different health needs, as well as preferences about how and where they receive care. Not only telemedicine vs. app vs. in-person care but also in their choice of providers. They want options for meeting new and existing health needs for themselves and their families.
Health care consumers also want more from their money with a retail-style experience. That means speed, convenience, and value. (Think Amazon, Instacart, and Walmart) This “consumerization of health care”3 creates opportunities to meet changing needs with a flexible approach.
Highmark has been ahead of the personalization trend. The MyHighmark platform launched in 2024, creating a full-service portal for our members. Once inside, members get a 360-degree view of our care network.
They can choose a provider, make an appointment, find patient education, review claims, and sign up for recommended health programs. The entire digital experience caters to the individual member based on age, gender, health history, location, and health plan coverage.
The digital health marketplace will grow exponentially over the next decade. Estimates show a value of $1.4 trillion by 2034 for digital products and services that improve health care outcomes.4
Digital health encompasses all systems, data, connectivity, hardware, and software (like MyHighmark) that are creating the future of care. Data lives at the center of this ecosystem, with integrated health records that give a whole-person perspective. Care becomes preventive and proactive with data that shows how an individual can best protect their health.
The full potential of digital health depends on combined data from different sources. Sources can include providers, pharmacies, wearable devices, remote patient monitoring, and self-reported and public health data — all linked together.
AI-enabled analysis of this data can point out any red flags in an individual’s health. In Highmark’s system, a red flag can generate a push notification, for example. This member notification might be a reminder for follow-up care, a health screening test, or wellness program enrollment. An urgent situation would automatically trigger a phone call.
Member-centric, digitally enabled care is about encouraging and maintaining good health. Healthier employees help you better manage insurance costs, while also giving you their best each day.
Understanding the full picture of Total Cost of Care
Virtual Mental Health Care Improves Access to Employee Benefits
My Highmark offers a more personal digital experience for plan members
All references to “Highmark” in this communication are references to Highmark Inc., an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, and/or to one or more of its affiliated Blue companies.
Spring Health is an independent company that provides mental health care services through its agents. Spring Health does not provide Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield products or services. Spring Health is solely responsible for their mental health care services.
Talk to your client manager today and we’ll help you find the right health plan for your company.
