How Does Your Cost Per Employee Compare?

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Your plan information

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Your comparison

Enter your plan information to see your comparison.

YOUR PLAN

Your Annual Cost Per Employee

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per enrolled employee / year

vs.

COMPARABLE EMPLOYERS

MEPS Employer Benchmark

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Based on employers of a comparable size

This calculator currently provides benchmark comparisons for employers with up to 500 enrolled employees.

Your Cost Comparison

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Monthly Cost Per Employee

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Benchmark Size Group

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MEPS comparison data

Your reported cost is meaningfully below the benchmark.

Lower reported cost can reflect efficient plan cost, but it may also be influenced by plan design, network structure, funding arrangement, employee contributions or other plan characteristics. Cost alone does not determine overall plan value.

Your reported cost is moderately below the benchmark.

Your medical plan cost per enrolled employee is below the comparison point for similarly sized employers. The next step is understanding what is driving the difference and whether plan design and benefits remain competitive.

Your reported cost is generally in line with the benchmark.

Your cost per enrolled employee is relatively close to the comparison point for similarly sized employers. Cost position is only one measure of plan performance; benefit competitiveness, contribution strategy and network design also matter.

Your reported cost is moderately above the benchmark.

This does not necessarily mean your plan is overpriced, but it provides a reason to understand what is driving the difference and whether your current strategy remains competitive.

Your reported cost is meaningfully above the benchmark.

Higher cost can reflect richer benefits, workforce demographics, network structure, funding arrangement or other factors. It may also create an opportunity to examine the drivers behind your plan cost more closely.

What Does Cost Per Employee Tell You?

Cost per enrolled employee gives you a simple way to normalize medical plan spending across employers of different sizes. It can help identify whether your reported plan cost is materially different from comparable employers.

But it does not tell the whole story.

Plan design, employee contributions, network structure, funding arrangement, demographics and utilization can all affect medical plan costs. A benchmark is a starting point for asking better questions—not a substitute for a complete plan review.

About the Benchmark

This comparison uses employer health insurance data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). The benchmark reflects average medical premium per enrolled employee, adjusted for the typical mix of single, employee-plus-one, and family enrollment among employers of a similar size.

MEPS publishes employer-size data in defined reporting categories. Where a category does not align exactly with the employer-size ranges used by this calculator—or where data for a smaller category is suppressed—the closest available MEPS employer-size category is used.

The benchmark is intended to provide directional context rather than an actuarial estimate or carrier rate comparison.

Source: 2024 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), employer health insurance data.

This calculator is intended for educational and planning purposes only. Benchmark results are based on available comparison data and may not reflect differences in plan design, workforce characteristics, funding arrangement, geography, utilization or other factors. Results do not represent actuarial projections, carrier quotes or a determination that a plan is appropriately or inappropriately priced.