OAKLAND, Calif., April 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Purchaser Business Group on Health (PBGH)—a nonprofit coalition of 40 of the largest public and private health care purchasers in the U.S.—recently presented the results of its annual member survey. The new analysis found that affordability is the resounding concern for employers, consistent with last year’s results.
Aimed at identifying the top health care and benefits priorities for America’s most influential employers—which collectively spend more than $350 billion annually providing coverage for 21 million workers and family members—the findings illustrate the ongoing frustrations felt by businesses as prices continue on an upward trajectory with no meaningful rationale.
Other areas of consistent focus from the country’s top employers were the need for enhanced transparency and more sophisticated data analytics tools, signaling their intent to more closely scrutinize newly available information to effectively combat price increases.
“These priorities coupled with the growing frustrations our members are expressing should be a wake-up call for many health care stakeholders who think the status quo is acceptable and that the days of blank checks will never end,” explained Elizabeth Mitchell, President and CEO of PBGH. “Getting access to price and quality data to effectively evaluate whether employers and families are paying a fair price for health care services is still too hard, but PBGH and our members are taking action to combat these challenges.”
Premiums continue to climb and are expected to increase by an average of 6-7% in 2026 according to recent reports, with some individual market plans rising by more than 20%, again outpacing inflation on a year-to-year basis. Importantly, the new PBGH analysis found that 37% of members surveyed are conducting a medical RFP this year with another 23% conducting a pharmacy RFP–27% of members are already using a ‘non-traditional’ PBM. With the passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2026, PBM reform remains a top priority for both policymakers and purchasers in addressing rising pharmacy costs and opaque business practices across the industry.
“Thanks to new legislation and transparency requirements, the days of rising health care costs with little to no accountability are rapidly coming to an end,” said Michael Costello, PBGH Board Member and Total Rewards Commercial Strategy Director for NextEra Energy, Inc. “Employers are taking their fiduciary obligations seriously, innovating their procurement strategies and seeking aligned partners that are truly interested in working to address employer needs, not just to maximize their own profits.”
After affordability, members cited data and transparency as top concerns. As demonstrated in the PBGH Data Project, health care pricing for the same procedure can vary significantly among providers and across geographic regions, with little to no correlation to the quality of services. With the availability of transparency data increasing, employers are leveraging insights to inform health care purchasing strategies, including bundled payments, direct-to-employer contracts, and the use of centers of excellence.
Advanced primary care also remains a top priority as benefits leaders strive to ensure that preventive care is accessible, coordinated, and integrated with behavioral health to promote the best patient experience and outcomes. Using the purchasing standards and quality metrics established through PBGH’s Care Excellence Program, employers and public purchasers are assessing top advanced primary care providers through carrier networks and third-party clinic and vendor solutions.
“The 2026 survey is an affirmation of our strategic roadmap,” added Mitchell. “PBGH’s initiatives include tactical programs and services that focus on affordable, high-quality, whole-person health, to establish fair pricing, ensure accountability and enable fiduciary success; we’ll be continuing to work with members to develop and refine these tools to enable them to fully leverage all newly available data and resources at their disposal.”
To learn more about PBGH membership and initiatives, please visit www.pbgh.org.
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About Purchaser Business Group on Health
Purchaser Business Group on Health (PBGH) is a, Oakland, Calif.-based nonprofit coalition representing nearly 40 private employers and public entities across the U.S. that collectively spend more than $350 billion annually purchasing health care services for more than 21 million Americans and their families. In partnership with its members, PBGH initiatives are designed to test innovative operational programs and scale successful approaches that lower health care costs and increase quality across the U.S.
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