# Major Companies to Cut Back on 2027 Health Benefits in Blow to Workers
## Employer-Sponsored Health Coverage Under Pressure as Costs Soar
Some of America’s largest employers are preparing to scale back health benefits in 2027, a move that could leave millions of workers shouldering a heavier financial burden. Walt Disney, Bloomberg, Starbucks, Deloitte, and the City of Dallas are among the organizations reportedly planning changes ranging from restricting spousal coverage to eliminating plan options and cutting drug benefits. The cutbacks come as health plans project the highest medical cost trend in nearly two decades, with commercial health care costs expected to rise 9% in 2027, according to consulting firm PwC. Insurer Aon predicts an even steeper increase of 9.5%, pushing average employer health care costs above $19,000 per employee.
The timing is particularly painful for workers because health benefits remain one of the most important factors in deciding whether to take or keep a job. According to finance researcher ValuePenguin, 87% of employed Americans or those job hunting say the health plan attached to a job matters at least somewhat in their decision-making. Yet many workers have limited budgets to absorb rising costs on their own: 42% of adults surveyed said they could comfortably afford less than $100 a month for health insurance outside an employer-sponsored plan, while 23% said they could afford between $100 and $249. „Health insurance is much more than a minor perk for most working Americans,” said Maggie Gunara, senior staff writer at ValuePenguin.
## What Specific Companies Are Changing
The list of employers tightening benefits continues to grow. Walt Disney Co. will stop covering working spouses under its health care plan in 2027 if those spouses have access to coverage through their own employers—a change affecting more than 200,000 U.S. employees. Starbucks surprised workers during open enrollment by nearly doubling the price tag for health insurance for some employees while lowering the share of employer contribution, and it is ending coverage for GLP-1 weight loss drugs beginning in October. Bloomberg LP plans to make employees pay monthly premium contributions for the first time in company history. Deloitte will halve paid parental leave to eight weeks for workers in its „Center” talent segment, covering internal IT, finance, and administrative functions, effective Jan. 1, while also ending its $50,000 adoption and surrogacy reimbursement program and pension accruals after Dec. 31. The Dallas City Council is set to vote on a proposal to eliminate its copay insurance plan and end GLP-1 coverage for weight-loss use.
These moves represent a broader trend of cost-shifting onto employees. Consulting firm Marsh found that 59% of employers plan to make cost-cutting changes to health benefits in 2027, including plan design changes like higher deductibles that increase members’ out-of-pocket costs. About two of three large employers with 500 or more employees are also expected to increase employees’ share of premium costs next year, meaning many workers will see paycheck deductions rise by more than the overall average cost increase of 8.2%. As Tim Zellers, an employee benefits consultant at Gibson, noted on LinkedIn: „These moves may reduce employer spend, but reducing benefits isn’t the same as reducing the cost of health care. We’re just changing who pays for it.”
## What This Means for Workers and Potential Alternatives
For employees, the implications are significant. Higher deductibles, rising premiums, restricted spousal coverage, and reduced drug benefits mean many workers will face greater financial exposure at a time when medical costs are already climbing. Since merely shifting costs has not solved the underlying problem, some experts argue companies need a fundamentally different strategy—perhaps one that bypasses the traditional insurance model altogether. Paul Pruitt, co-founder of SHARx, a procurement management solution for high-cost prescription drugs, points out that a small number of people with expensive medications often drive the majority of pharmacy spending. „The higher-cost medications may be 10% of usage but consume 90% of dollars,” Pruitt said.
One potential path forward is for companies to adopt direct-to-patient options similar to Amazon Pharmacy or Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co. for branded medications, while keeping traditional insurance for lower-cost drugs. Another alternative gaining traction is individual coverage health reimbursement arrangements, or ICHRAs, which give employees a fixed monthly tax-free reimbursement to purchase their own individual health plans. One in three businesses currently offering health benefits reported likely ICHRA adoption within the next two years, according to the Employee Benefits Research Institute (EBRI). However, transition may be difficult given employees’ familiarity with group plans and uncertainty about whether ICHRAs would truly be cheaper. As 2027 approaches, workers and employers alike face difficult decisions about the future of health care coverage in America.
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