Healthcare employers most likely to cut workplace health benefits, research finds

Healthcare employers face the most pressure to cut workplace health benefits in 2026, according to Healix Health’s Hidden Workplace Healthcare Gap report. 

More than three-quarters (77%) of healthcare employers expect rising costs to reduce their provision this year, the highest among all sectors surveyed and above the 66% average across all employers. 

At the same time, 19% of healthcare employees said their benefits did not meet their needs.

The report found employees in healthcare relied more on workplace healthcare as NHS access stayed under strain, with 56% saying this made them more dependent on workplace support. 

In manufacturing, 77% of employers said workplace support improved over the past year, compared with just 32% of employees, showing a gap between business and staff views. 

IT & telecoms performed strongly, with 94% of employees confident they could access timely care, 77% saying benefits were easy to use and 85% having used their workplace healthcare – the highest usage of any sector.

Ian Talbot, CEO at Healix Health, said: “Healthcare organisations understand better than most what happens when people can’t get the care they need, which makes it particularly concerning that they are also under the greatest pressure to reduce support for their own workforce. 

“With employees becoming more reliant on workplace healthcare, simply cutting benefits risks making existing gaps worse.