Health benefit cost increases expected to hit 15-year high, Mercer warns

"Health benefit cost trend has two primary components — healthcare price and utilization. Right now, both are rising," Sunit Patel, Mercer's U.S. chief actuary for health and benefits, said in a news release. While advances in diagnostics and therapeutics, such as cancer treatments and weight-loss drugs, can lead to better health outcomes, they tend to be more expensive, Mercer said.