2024 Employee Benefits Market Outlook 6 Heightened health care costs are likely to con琀椀nue impac琀椀ng employers for the foreseeable future. Looking ahead to 2024, many employers are focusing on impacts related to mental health, medica琀椀ons, cancer and health care delivery. To combat rising costs, employers are focusing on improving employee health outcomes, reducing unnecessary services and priori琀椀zing preven琀椀on and primary care. Many employers have avoided shi昀琀ing increasing health care costs onto employees due to the 琀椀ght labor market and ongoing a琀琀rac琀椀on and reten琀椀on challenges. Despite employers’ reluctance to shi昀琀 the burden of rising costs onto employees, more employers will likely increase cost-sharing amounts somewhat in 2024. However, it’s unlikely that these employers will shi昀琀 enough costs through cost-sharing ini琀椀a琀椀ves to lower their projected cost increases. Consequently, with many organiza琀椀ons avoiding cost- shi昀琀ing altogether and others being hesitant to shi昀琀 a large por琀椀on of costs onto employees in the new year, employers will have to get crea琀椀ve with plan design. For example, many employers are looking to enhance bene昀椀ts by seeking opportuni琀椀es to add value. That could mean 昀椀lling gaps in current o昀昀erings to make them more inclusive. Behavioral health care remains a strong focus for many employers, so an example of a bene昀椀t enhancement would be expanding employee assistance program services and adding virtual behavioral health care op琀椀ons. In 2024, employers will focus on bene昀椀ts educa琀椀on and employee communica琀椀on, with the goal of helping them thoroughly understand their bene昀椀ts. Many employees are looking for ways to stretch their hard- earned dollars further, and employers can step in to provide that much-needed guidance. In turn, employer e昀昀orts focused on preven琀椀ve and proac琀椀ve health care can help curb health care costs.