Ultimate employee benefits guide

Employee benefits aren’t just perks. In 2025, they’re a strategic lever. With rising healthcare costs, increased workforce expectations, and the permanent shift toward hybrid work, your benefits strategy isn’t just a retention tool. If you can offer the best employee benefits in your industry, you send a strong message to potential candidates (and to your existing team members). This demonstrates your company values and your bottom line. A strong employee benefits plan signals care, financial strength, and a commitment to invest in your team. A forward-looking benefits plan is a competitive advantage. It influences recruiting outcomes, impacts employee health and productivity, and shapes how your organization is perceived. We want to help you understand the full landscape of a modern benefits plan including what’s most common, and emerging trends. But what really matters is attracting and retaining top talent. This guide will focus on the most cost-effective benefits to achieve that organizational goal.

October 24, 2025 • 19 min read

Sword Editorial Team

Healthcare cost trends for 2026

Healthcare costs are rising again, and health insurance providers are feeling the pressure. After a brief slowdown at the start of the year across the macro industry, costs have continued to push higher on the back of inflation, new drug therapies, and pent-up utilization. Most benefits leaders already know the headlines, like trend lines above 7 percent and specialty drug spend surging, but what they need now are answers. Not all of this is beyond your control. Healthcare leaders can consider these broader trends to update their plans. This guide will explain the key trends impacting the industry in more detail, but the foundations of cost-effective plans are increasingly built on prevention, digital access, and value-based partnerships that drive measurable ROI. We've pulled together a high-level overview of the key trends shaping the cost basis of healthcare in 2026 and beyond. Read on to find what you need to know about the reasons for these trends, and the practical steps you can take to stay ahead.

October 10, 2025 • 8 min read

Sword Editorial Team

GLP-1 muscle loss: the hidden cost of weight loss without movement

Early indications show the drugs are helping patients lose weight. But as more research and analysis is collected, concern around GLP-1 muscle loss is building. While GLP-1s promote fast weight loss, the type of weight lost matters. Clinical research shows that up to 39% of lean body mass is lost during GLP-1 usage. Lean muscle loss from GLP-1 use presents an invisible but dangerous risk, for health insurers and patients alike. Lean muscle loss isn’t cosmetic. This has serious implications for physical health, mobility, long-term function, and cost exposure. For health plan administrators sarcopenia muscle loss adds nearly $900 in excess healthcare costs per employee annually. Lean muscle is essential. Lose it, and you compromise strength, movement, and future health.

August 22, 2025 • 14 min read

Morgan Hollis, MS, RDN