The first half of 2026 made one thing clear: employer healthcare costs are not rising evenly.
Alliant’s 2026 Employee Benefits Midyear Review brings together the major employee benefits strategy themes we tracked through the first half of the year, along with forward-looking insight into the regulatory, economic, and AI-driven trends shaping the second half.
Inside the review, employers will find a focused view of:
- Large medical claims and persistent high-cost claimant risk
- Pharmacy volatility, GLP-1 coverage and specialty drug governance
- Healthcare navigation and site-of-care strategy
- Leave management, absence cost exposure and compliance risk
- Health plan analytics, clinical support and AI forecasting
- Funding strategy, stop-loss alignment and renewal readiness
- Regulatory developments that will impact renewal
The second half of 2026 will not reward employers that wait.
It will reward organizations that understand where cost is concentrating, which risks are manageable and what decisions need to be made before renewal pressure narrows the path forward.
