Quick answer
Three transparency trends define 2026 for brokers and employers: unprecedented healthcare data accessibility as more providers comply, pricing data cleanliness (bad data costs companies over $12 million on average), and rapid growth of alternative health plans. With family premiums topping $26,000 and 8.5% cost growth forecast, acting on clean data is the defense.
Key takeaways
- KFF measured a 6% increase in employee health insurance costs, with families spending more than $26,000 on premiums in 2025
- PwC anticipates employer healthcare costs growing 8.5% next year, after a similar increase in 2025
- Acting on bad data can cost companies more than $12 million (Gartner)—data cleanliness is a 2026 defining issue
- Alternative health plans with dynamic copays and level funding are the fastest-growing response to rising costs
| Cost indicator | Figure |
|---|---|
| Employee health insurance increase (KFF, 2025) | +6% |
| Family premium spend (2025) | $26,000+ |
| Forecast employer cost growth (PwC) | +8.5% |
| Average cost of acting on bad data (Gartner) | $12M+ |
It’s no secret that healthcare costs are going up.
The Kaiser Family Foundation recently measured a 6% increase in employee health insurance, finding that families spent more than $26,000 in 2025 on premiums. The 6% increase mirrors cost rises in 2024 and 2023. Individual health care premiums rose by 5 percent.
A PwC survey found that employer healthcare costs might rise even more, anticipating 8.5% growth next year. This comes after a similar increase in 2025.
So how can employers and brokers protect themselves against rising costs while continuing to deliver substantive health insurance options? The answer is in the data.
How does clean healthcare data reduce insurance costs?
The Hospital Price Transparency and the Transparency in Coverage laws by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services are well established, but compliance among hospitals can be spotty. That’s why data and price transparency will be a defining feature of the industry in 2026.
While price transparency efforts have signaled that the industry has been in a state of flux and that changes are coming, costs keep rising. It remains incredibly difficult to create impactful, meaningful healthcare plans in the current market. As hospitals and health plans continue to share data, and more organizations comply with transparency laws, the ability for third-party software providers to deliver impactful information about healthcare costs will only increase.
Brokers and employers can prepare for the coming year by arming themselves with questions about healthcare data processing, focusing on how third-party software providers use more substantive, real-time data to lower insurance costs.
We’ll be zeroing in on these healthcare transparency trends in 2026:
What will healthcare data accessibility look like in 2026?
As more providers and carriers begin sharing data, pricing data access will increase in 2026. We’re expecting unprecedented healthcare data access will enable companies to provide unrivaled analysis and infrastructure for a new type of health insurance. These new plans will drive down costs for all while creating an atmosphere of care. Payees need a partner that can unify these new streams of healthcare price transparency data with commercial intelligence, returning accurate pricing and care information while helping create innovative plans. These providers must use a comprehensive, production-ready dataset that includes provider directories, quality metrics, claims benchmarks and contracted rates.
Why does pricing data cleanliness matter so much?
When companies act on bad data, it can cost them more than $12 million. Gartner came upon that figure by analyzing how bad data impacts back-office systems, drives down revenue and other factors. Translating this over to healthcare pricing, creating healthcare plans with bad data only makes everything more expensive. In a perfect world, healthcare providers would deliver data files that are accurate, complete and standardized. Health plans also wouldn’t report pricing and other data differently than hospital systems. These ideals don’t yet exist, so payees need to find a software provider with a unified approach to data cleanliness and standardization that helps users turn this pricing data into action.
In 2026, expect to see first-party data that is more accurate and usable. But this data is not enough. Payees need data enhanced with third-party commercial information to ensure only the most realistic healthcare pricing. As more sources come into compliance with the data transparency law, even more information flows into the industry. Instead of getting overwhelmed by the data, brokers and employers need to act with intention.
How fast are alternative healthcare plans growing?
Healthcare pricing will continue to increase, so it makes no sense to build health insurance plans using the same providers based on last year’s claims. Employers are demanding flexibility to build plans that work for all of their employees, leading to significant customization. That’s why alternative healthcare plans are growing in popularity. In 2026, employers, brokers and health plans will quickly adopt AI-powered platforms to design dynamic copays and level-funded plans that promise steerage, cost containment and quick ROI.
Where does this all lead? Smarter plan design, healthier customers and a less wasteful healthcare industry.
Handl Health’s holistic infrastructure platform enables users to design, deploy and monitor alternative health plans. The company is making sure these data priorities stay front and center in 2026, delivering payees actionable information that empowers them to create healthcare plans that reduce costs while improving service.
Frequently asked questions
How much are healthcare costs rising for employers?
KFF measured a 6% increase in employee health insurance, with families spending more than $26,000 in 2025 on premiums. PwC anticipates employer costs growing 8.5% next year.
What transparency trends should brokers watch in 2026?
Three: expanding healthcare data accessibility as compliance improves, pricing data cleanliness and standardization, and the rapid growth of alternative healthcare plans with dynamic copays and level funding.
How expensive is bad healthcare data?
Gartner found that acting on bad data can cost companies more than $12 million on average. In healthcare, plans built on bad pricing data simply make everything more expensive.
Why are alternative healthcare plans growing in popularity?
Because it makes no sense to rebuild plans on the same providers using last year's claims while prices keep rising. Employers want flexibility, steerage, cost containment, and quick ROI—delivered through AI-powered plan design.
What should employers ask their data providers?
How they process healthcare data: whether they unify transparency data with commercial intelligence, and whether their dataset includes provider directories, quality metrics, claims benchmarks, and contracted rates.
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