Get to know the leader in alternative health plans: Surest
As health care costs continue to climb, employers are rethinking their benefit strategies—looking for innovative ways to support employee health and financial well-being while keeping an eye on the bottom line.
Traditional health plans – like a high deductible or PPO plans – often fail to meet the needs of today’s diverse workforce while also meeting the needs of employers. Alternative health plans – a rapidly emerging category that focuses on guiding employees to effective and cost-efficient health providers – are helping employers provide more meaningful and afforable coverage to help attract and retain employees.
Two recent industry studies underscore the growing momentum behind alternative health plans, where Surest continues to be the market leader.
According to Mercer’s 2025 U.S. Survey on Health and Benefit Strategies for 2026, over one-third of large employers have already adopted alternative health plans, with 7% of those surveyed having a variable copay plan in place or planned for 2026, and 20% weighing the option for 2026 or 2027.1
According to WTW’s 2025 Best Practices in Healthcare Survey, employers project their health care costs will increase by 9.1% in 2026. In response, companies plan to evaluate disruptive changes to their health care plans as the cost of health care in the U.S. rises to the highest point in over two decades. The study goes on to say alternative health plans are becoming a popular, proactive way to address health and rising costs.2
Surest is a strategic alternative.
Surest is not just participating in transformation—it’s leading the way. For nearly a decade, Surest has been redefining health insurance by working to remove financial barriers to care and delivering unmatched levels of transparency. Employers are leaning into this approach and making Surest part of their long-term strategy to help manage health care expenses.
Additionally, employers are finding alternative health plans like Surest— where members have provider choice and cost clarity—helps attractive and retain top talent in an already competitive marketplace.
Surest is a no-deductible health plan designed to let members shop cost and care options—before a visit. When they choose high-value care options, they often save money—and may help their employer save too.
Employers who choose Surest aren’t just offering a health plan—they’re making a strategic investment that helps:
- Reduce unnecessary spending with lower copays often assigned to high-value providers
- Improve care navigation by allowing members to evaluate provider options, ratings, and copays before a visit
- Enhance member satisfaction by providing access to information to help choose what’s right for them
Member engagement with the plan is key to savings potential. When members shop for care—searching for and comparing options—they can make informed decisions about where to go and what it will cost. By engaging with the plan before a visit, members often choose less costly or invasive options like virtual care or physical therapy instead of surgery. The plan’s proactive design increases awareness of high-value programs and alternative treatments that often lead to improved shopping patterns and care selection:
- Shopped encounters were twice as likely to be at the lowest cost versus encounters that weren’t shopped3
- Virtual visit usage is 2.5 times higher than that of traditional plans4
- 15% fewer surgeries5
- 8% fewer emergency room visits5
Why it matters now.
Businesses and their employees need relief. Mercer’s survey reveals that nearly 60% of employers plan to make cost-cutting changes in 2026, with many shifting away from traditional cost-sharing models.1 WTW’s report urges employers to take a more revolutionary approach to address both immediate cost pressures and long-term cost trends, especially since health care costs appear firmly on an upward trajectory.2
As alternative health plans gain attention, Surest has already set the standard with its copay plan—and it’s delivering proven results for members and employers.6
Ready for a change? See how the Surest plan is leading the way.
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https://www.pwc.com/us/en/industries/health-industries/library/behind-the-numbers.html
2Surest 2024 Book of Business, YTD.
3Analysis comparing Virtual Designated Provider utilization rates between Surest and non-4Surest self-funded plans that offered at least one Surest and one non-Surest plan in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
52024 Surest ASO analysis comparing utilization trends for continuously enrolled Surest members to a matched, non-Surest traditional plan control group.
6Surest actuarial results through 2025.