Only 16% of medical groups expanded employee benefits in 2026, down from 45% in 2022, according to MGMA Stat polls. In MGMA's June 2026 poll of 287 groups, 69% kept benefits the same and 15% cut them.
The share fell in each poll after 2022, a drop of 29 percentage points.
What the June 2026 poll found
MGMA Stat polled medical group leaders on June 9, 2026 and received 287 applicable responses. The question asked whether benefit offerings had changed since 2025. A total of 16% of groups expanded or increased benefits, 69% held them about the same, and 15% decreased them.
The gap between groups that added benefits and groups that cut them is one percentage point. In June 2024, MGMA's poll of 402 groups showed 21% expanding, 70% unchanged and 9% declining, a 12-point gap in favor of expansion. In two years the margin went from 12 points to 1.
MGMA's separate budget poll of 213 medical group leaders found 37% ranked workforce investment first for 2026, ahead of health information technology at 30%. Revenue cycle and patient access each drew 12%. Workforce spending is still the top priority even as fewer groups add benefits. Together, the 69% holding steady and the 16% expanding mean 85% of groups kept their 2025 offerings or improved on them.
Five years of MGMA benefit polls
MGMA has asked the same question each spring or summer since 2021. The share of groups adding or increasing benefits peaked in 2022, when MGMA's May 31 poll of 553 groups found 45%, up from 26% a year earlier. It has fallen each year since.
| Poll date | Groups that added or increased benefits | Responses |
|---|---|---|
| June 8, 2021 | 26% | Not stated on the page |
| May 31, 2022 | 45% | 553 |
| June 13, 2023 | 35% | 498 |
| June 11, 2024 | 21% | 402 |
| June 9, 2026 | 16% | 287 |
Source: MGMA Stat polls published June 1, 2022, June 15, 2023, June 12, 2024 and June 10, 2026. The 2021 figure comes from the comparison in MGMA's 2023 article.
The response counts also fell, from 553 in 2022 to 287 in 2026. Each poll covers a different group of respondents, so the series shows direction and not a tracked panel of the same practices.
What staff turnover looked like in 2022
MGMA's 2022 data showed 40% turnover among front office support staff, 33% among clinical support staff and 33% among business operations support staff. Advanced practice providers turned over at 25%. Among the groups in the 2022 poll that had not added benefits, 19% were considering changes later that year, 77% had no plans to change and 4% were unsure.
Groups that expanded benefits in 2024 most often added mental health resources, larger employer contributions to health insurance, uniform allowances and expanded paid leave. The 2023 poll listed 401(k) matching, paid sick leave and employee assistance programs as areas groups were considering. MGMA reported staffing as the biggest challenge for group leaders in both 2022 and 2023.
How healthcare employers compare with other employers
MGMA's June 2026 article compared healthcare against all businesses using SHRM's 2025 benefits data. Healthcare employers offer more of the benefits tied to shift work and retention, and fewer of the benefits tied to family leave and bonuses.
| Benefit | Healthcare employers | All businesses |
|---|---|---|
| Shift premiums | 36% | 28% |
| Retention bonuses | 28% | 20% |
| Student loan repayment | 17% | 8% |
| Parental leave | 25% | 39% |
| Incentive bonuses | 38% | 51% |
Source: SHRM 2025 benefits data, as reported by MGMA Stat on June 10, 2026. Percentages show the share of employers offering each benefit.
The 2026 poll sets benefit decisions against the 84% of groups that MGMA found reporting higher operating costs than a year earlier. Student loan repayment is offered by healthcare employers at more than twice the rate of all businesses, 17% against 8%. The largest gap in the other direction is incentive bonuses, where healthcare trails by 13 points.
Which coverage shrank in 2025
MGMA also reported declines in specific coverage types in 2025. Chiropractic coverage fell 9 percentage points to 61%. Contraceptive coverage fell 6 points to 71%, and mental health coverage fell 5 points to 85%.
Wellness programs followed a longer slide. Their share dropped from 53% in 2021 to 39% in 2025. Medical flexible spending account offerings fell from 68% in 2021 to 60% in 2025.
What health coverage costs an employer
KFF's 2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey, published October 22, 2025, covered 1,862 firms. The average annual premium for family coverage was $26,993, up 6% from 2024. Single coverage averaged $9,325, up 5%.
Workers paid $6,850 a year toward family coverage, 26% of the premium, and $1,440 for single coverage, 16% of the premium. Employers paid the rest. At firms with 10 to 199 workers, the family premium averaged $26,054 and the worker share averaged $8,889. The average single deductible at those firms was $2,631. Small firms therefore passed a larger dollar amount to workers than the all-firm average of $6,850, a difference of $2,039 a year for family coverage.
KFF compared five-year changes. Family premiums rose 26% over five years, wages rose 28.6% and inflation rose 23.5%. In the latest year wages rose 4% and inflation 2.7%. MGMA's June 2026 article cited a projected 6.7% rise in health benefit costs for 2026, the steepest increase in 15 years, bringing the cost above $18,500 per employee.
Sources
- MGMA Stat, Medical practice worker benefits: Where retention tools meet cost pressure, June 10, 2026
- MGMA Stat, Healthcare workers' benefit offerings go largely unchanged in 2024, June 12, 2024
- MGMA Stat, Pace of employee benefit additions cools in medical groups in 2023, June 15, 2023
- MGMA Stat, The 10 most common employee benefit improvements for medical practices in 2022, June 1, 2022
- MGMA Stat, MGMA Stat at 10: A decade of change, September 30, 2026
- KFF, 2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey, October 22, 2025
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