BENEFITS DIGEST

Marsh's national survey of more than 1,800 employers projects health benefit costs rising 8.2% in 2027, the sharpest annual jump since 2003, and 11% for employers who take no action. Some 59% plan cost-reduction moves such as raising deductibles, and GLP-1 coverage alone accounts for about a percentage point of the increase.

Eighty percent of Americans now say the country faces a retirement crisis, per National Institute on Retirement Security research, as inflation and healthcare costs squeeze what households can put away.

With 59% of Americans lacking the savings to cover an emergency expense, employers are rethinking financial wellness benefits, from emergency savings programs to retirement plans to AI-powered financial advice.

New projections released this week put next year's employer health benefit cost increase at the highest level in more than two decades, adding pressure on plan sponsors heading into 2027 renewals and budget season.

MetLife's president of U.S. business makes the case that improving employees' benefits literacy leads to smarter choices for their health and financial wellness, an argument for personalized decision support as employers look for ways to get more from every premium dollar.

Section 103 of SECURE 2.0 replaces the Saver's Credit with a matching contribution from the federal government, and its implementation raises a series of decisions for plan sponsors. Seyfarth surveys the open questions about how the new match will operate.

The quarterly survey tracks health plan design challenges after Barbich v. Northwestern, the forfeiture line following the Eighth Circuit's standing dismissal in Matula, actuarial-equivalence rulings in the Sixth and Eleventh Circuits, and the Supreme Court's withdrawal-liability decision in M&K Employee Solutions, with the Fifth Circuit's en banc surcharge case and Anderson v. Intel on the watch list.

Miller & Chevalier's September outlook starts with the continuing resolution needed to avert a partial government shutdown before fiscal 2027 begins October 1 and surveys what tax legislation could move this month.

Remote financial wellness programs can improve retirement saving behavior, but surveyed consumers still prefer personal or hybrid communication with advisers.

Transamerica Institute study shows financial pressures are eating into middle-class workers' ability to save, and prompting them to work longer.

Kantor & Kantor's weekly survey leads with Laurel Hill Management Services v. La-Z-Boy, where the Sixth Circuit held a provider's claims preempted, reinforcing the circuit split with the Ninth Circuit's Healthcare Ally decision covered here last week. The same edition rounds up the week's district courts, including Kovacs v. Moradi, holding that restricted stock units are not ERISA plans, and Cregan v. Unum, finding that a voluntary accident plan failed the safe harbor on three of four prongs and is therefore ERISA-governed.

New NIRS survey shows deepening concerns about retirement viability in current economy, plus a distrust of AI financial advice and crypto investments.

Employers are expecting a median 9.2% increase in medical spending next year, according to a new survey. But they’ve underestimated actual cost growth for the past three years, so even that figure may be too optimistic.

PSCA's annual Health Savings Account survey found 83% of eligible employees contributed to their HSAs in 2025, up from 73% a year earlier, while only about a quarter of employers actively position HSAs as part of a long-term retirement savings strategy. NAPA's read: participation is no longer the problem, and the open opportunity for employers is helping workers treat the accounts as more than a spending vehicle.

When plan sponsors think about retirement plan risk, they often focus on investment committees, financial advisors, or highly compensated executives. In reality, the employee who creates the greatest risk to a retirement plan is often someone far less visible.

More than one-quarter of surveyed Generation Z investors said they used sports betting as part of a long-term investing strategy, according to Betterment.

PSCA survey finds more than 80% of employees contribute to their workplace Health Savings Accounts, but not enough workers are tapping their unique tax advantages.

A new report suggests that employees ages 55+ who engage with virtual financial wellness benefits make significant progress toward key retirement readiness milestones.

TD Bank survey finds 75% of Americans have delayed at least one major milestone because of their finances, with Gen Z feeling the greatest impact.

Nearly half of people with an ongoing mental health condition who use large language models say they lean on AI for mental health support, per a survey EBN reports, most commonly for anxiety and depression. For benefit leaders weighing AI tools in workforce mental health programs, the vetting question is no longer hypothetical.

A Zety survey finds a fifth of Gen X workers expect never to retire, with rising costs and inflation the leading culprits.

Mercer's quarterly state survey: Virginia enacted both paid family and medical leave and paid sick and safe leave, several states passed major PBM laws including a Tennessee statute challenged in court the day it took effect, and Alabama, Georgia, and Texas legislated on AI use in benefits.

Groom surveys the tobacco-surcharge docket after the trio of July decisions favoring employers, including the Target and Campbell Soup dismissals covered here this week, and asks whether the 75-case wave has crested or is merely regrouping.

Financial Finesse research suggests employees approaching retirement who engage with virtual financial wellness programs are significantly more likely to take key planning actions and improve retirement readiness.

a workforce-planning number as much as a benefits one.

the gap to watch as alts push toward DC menus.

the second consecutive year of double-digit projected trend, and the number that will anchor this fall's renewal conversations.

Encore's fiduciary team surveys the fallout from the Fourth Circuit's Genworth decision calling out the rubber-stamping of broad ERISA classes, and argues the era of automatic certification is ending. The latest chapter in the class-certification story the Digest has followed since the decision came down.

Employees are facing rising financial stress, retirement savings gaps, and competing priorities, but new financial wellness trends are emerging to help.

Thompson Hine tracks the spread of the “financial dominance” theory introduced in Barbich v. Northwestern University, in which participants challenge employer health plan design choices under ERISA, and surveys how the claims are expanding in 2026.

In a recent survey, half of plan sponsors said they seek ‘minor’ or ‘moderate’ plan design updates to improve their plan’s impact upon participants.

An NCPERS survey suggests lower-stakes experimentation with artificial intelligence is happening more quickly than strategic integration.

WTW 2026 Defined Contribution Survey report finds employers are asking defined contribution plans to do more than they were originally designed for, prompting greater focus on retirement income, AI, governance, and measurable participant outcomes.

Kevin Crain says the future of financial wellness depends on whose interests come first.

A Nationwide survey found that, following the past year’s market volatility, 60% of advisers are more likely to recommend guaranteed income solutions.

Offering a diverse array of financial wellness solutions can help reach a ‘distributed workforce,’ a recent Commonwealth report suggests.

Consumer credit trends and household financial health help illustrate the backdrop against which companies are thinking about employee financial wellness.

are making them hesitant to move forward, according to a survey.

Even high-income employees are uncertain about where to put their next dollar, highlighting the need for workplace guidance on financial wellness.

A Bank of America report reveals a disconnect between employers and employees on fiscal wellness, while educational programs can improve retention and engagement.

New survey data shows the resurgence of green-zone plans, funded status trends and lessons for the future of multiemployer pensions.

New NFP research finds 72% of workers are behind on retirement as rising costs, competing priorities, and financial stress make saving harder.

Segal's survey report reveals that health plan cost trends for employer-sponsored benefits are approaching their highest levels in 15 years.

Employers have an opportunity to encourage workers to participate in a retirement savings account today.

Allianz Life study finds seven in 10 workers and retirees struggle with the psychological shift from saving to spending, as retirement risks make it difficult to confidently begin drawing down retirement accounts.

Key Wealth survey finds many mass affluent inheritors are reducing retirement savings and taking on more investment risk based on inheritances they often haven't confirmed they'll receive.

Employers who recognize these compromises are most likely to see behavioral changes from participants, Schroders’ study reports.

Nearly two-thirds of surveyed defined contribution plan participants relied on their own financial adviser or one provided by an employer for plan decisions.

2026 U.S. Retirement Trend Report from NFP finds 89% of workers trust employer-provided financial advisors, yet many miss out by not engaging

Thrivent shows split in retirement confidence among savers hurdling through market inflation and advancements in AI technology

American workers struggle to balance saving for retirement with other concerns such as emergency funds, paying down debt, healthcare and everyday expenses

July 14 is the inaugural Women’s Retirement Security Day, a day the American Retirement Association created to acknowledge the unique challenges women face in saving for retirement.

Nearly three-quarters of workplace retirement plan participants would prefer to delegate retirement planning and investing decisions, while younger generations increasingly expect employers to provide guidance

A joint EBRI / FINRA Investor Education Foundation study revealed that, even when controlling for demographic variables, positive relationships persist.

Fewer financial worries and increased longevity were among the benefits reported by Chilean retirees surveyed about guaranteed income.

Newly released International Foundation survey data revealed key trends for glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drug coverage for U.S. corporate employers.

and what plan sponsors can do to improve access, trust and utilization.