As 2026 approaches, employers and employees alike are seeking greater stability in how they pay for health care. While national costs continue to rise, self-funding give employers a level of control over spending and plan design that traditional coverages often lack.
A new West Health–Gallup survey underscores why this stability matters. American adults report growing financial strain from health care bills, underscoring the need for smarter cost management. Key findings from the survey include:
- 47% of U.S. adults worry they may struggle to afford health care in 2026.
- 37% are concerned about prescription drug costs.
- 15% say health care expenses cause “a lot of stress” in daily life.
- About 1 in 3 delayed or skipped care due to cost.
These numbers highlight the importance of health plans that allow employers to directly manage cost drivers… and MedBen gives self-funded employers tools to do exactly that:
- Physician-driven forensic claim review that delivers an average of $11.81 in additional savings on targeted claims.
- Alternative reimbursement strategies such as direct-to-employer contracting and fair market pricing, which outperform traditional PPO arrangements by 21.3% on average.
- Transparent pharmacy solutions through MedBen Rx that reduce drug spend by an average of 20.9% compared to clients who use other PBMs.
- A proactive wellness approach through MedBen WellLiving that helps participating groups lower medical costs by an average of 5.3%.
These cost controls are further strengthened through MedBen Analytics, which enables plan administrators to pinpoint where money is going and find additional savings opportunities.
In a period of economic pressure and evolving health care policy, controlling plan design and spending can make a meaningful difference – for employers and the people they cover. If you ever want to review your plan performance or discuss ways to reduce costs, your MedBen Account Management team is just a call away.