2026-27 Healthcare benefits strategy survey: Financial strategy & ROI

Healthcare cost pressures have officially reached a fever pitch. With annual healthcare spending projected to scale dramatically if left unchecked, Total Rewards and benefits leaders find themselves in an increasingly challenging position.

To understand exactly how rising healthcare demands are impacting organizational strategy, Grokker Innovation Labs recently issued the first installment of its 2026-2027 Healthcare Benefits Strategy Survey: Financial Strategy & ROI. The insights reveal that the era of soft metrics and VOI has been replaced by a strict corporate mandate to prove hard, actuarial ROI. However, rather than executing indiscriminate cuts, executive leadership is challenging HR teams to optimize existing networks, eliminate administrative waste, and embrace emerging AI health technologies.