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As HR leaders finalize their 2026 benefits strategies, industry experts are forecasting shifts driven by economic pressures, generational divides and evolving employee expectations. From the rise of budget-conscious health plan selections to demands for life-stage-specific benefits, the coming year will challenge organizations to balance cost containment with meaningful support for an increasingly diverse workforce.
Migration to lower-cost options Ben Light, Zorro
Economic realities are reshaping how employees approach health insurance selection, according to Ben Light, VP of partnerships at ICHRA platform Zorro, who predicts a surge in Bronze plan enrollments as workers feel the squeeze of persistent inflation and cost-of-living pressures.
“We’re seeing a fundamental shift in how employees think about their health coverage,” says Guy Ezekiel, Zorro’s co-founder and CEO. He also anticipates continued migration to lower-premium plans, driven not just by budget-conscious employees, but also by tighter employer allowances. The result? More sophisticated plan selection behavior as workers learn to balance premium savings against higher deductibles.
This evolution goes beyond traditional insurance models. Light predicts growth in direct primary care (DPC) and reference-based pricing. Reference-based pricing is a healthcare payment model that sets reimbursement rates for medical services using a predefined benchmark rather than the provider’s billed charges.
