In this episode of the Beneficial Workplace, host Emily Ferreira sits down with Tracy Watts (Mercer’s National Leader of U.S. Health Policy), to discuss a key issue facing employers: healthcare affordability. As you’ll hear, the sharp upturn in health benefit cost growth is putting pressure on employers as well employees, but there are creative strategies – including a focus on financial wellness – that can help. 

Sources:

Resume Now survey 92% of Americans Cut Back Spending in 2025
Aflac Wellness Matters Survey 2025 Aflac Wellness Matters Survey
Commonwealth research Transforming Workplace Benefits into an Engine for Financial Health

Emily Ferreira speaks with Mercer’s Director of Research for Health and Benefits, Beth Umland, about what is contributing to the highest healthcare cost growth in 15 years and how employers are responding.

Host Emily Ferreira, from Mercer’s health & benefits research team, speaks with senior consultant Wendy Smith, who attended HLTH 2025. The conversation offers curated takeaways for employers from the health industry’s largest innovation conference, focused on AI, pharmacy benefits and rising healthcare costs.

Listen as Emily Ferreira speaks with Chief Health Actuary Sunit Patel on Mercer’s preliminary projection for 2026 health benefit cost growth  - and what employers can do about it.

Emily Ferreira welcomes Amy Laverock back to the podcast to delve into the results of the latest 2025 Health on Demand Survey of nearly 20,000 workers and discuss how employees are feeling about the benefits they’re currently offered, differences by generation and opportunities for employers to prepare for the longevity of their workforce.

In the latest installment of the Beneficial Workplace podcast, host Emily Ferreira sits down with Kate Brown, leader of Mercer’s Center for Health Innovation, to discuss how AI is currently integrated into health benefit programs, the increasing usage of agentic AI in benefits administration and how AI will continue to evolve within the healthcare sphere in the years to come.

Listen in as Host Emily Ferreira and Melinda Izbicki discuss some new trends in childcare and eldercare benefits – and why supporting workers who have children or relatives in need of care helps not only the employees but the bottom line as well.

Listen in as Host Emily Ferreira and Mallory Gyetvan discuss unique approaches to benchmarking employee benefit plans and how employers can use this information in setting their long-term health program strategy. To learn more about the Mercer National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans or be notified of upcoming survey results, please visit https://shop.mercer.com/national-survey-of-employer-sponsored-health-plans.html

Description for webpage: Host Emily Ferreira and research director Beth Umland share some surprises from Mercer’s 2024 National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans – and discuss the emerging trends that are shaping strategies for 2026. 

Emily Ferreira sits down with Chief Actuary Sunit Patel to discuss the preliminary cost increase data from the 2024 National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans