"Projected Surge: US Employers Face Largest Healthcare Cost Increase in 10 Years by 2024"

US employers are expected to face the largest increase in healthcare costs in a decade in 2024, with estimates ranging from 5.4% to 8.5%. Factors contributing to this rise include medical inflation, increased demand for expensive weight-loss drugs, and the availability of high-priced gene therapies. However, in a tight labor market, many employers are hesitant to pass on the full cost increase to their employees. Instead, they are exploring cost-cutting measures such as using artificial intelligence to reduce administrative expenses and identifying less expensive hospital networks for certain procedures.