By Sarah Armstrong, Strategic Business Advisor, and Ross Kraft, VP & Strategic Business Advisor, Gilroy Kernan & Gilroy (GKG)
For print employers, attractive healthcare benefits are no longer just a nice-to-have. They are a key part of recruiting, rewarding, and retaining the skilled employees needed to keep operations running.
For decades, we’ve seen health plan decisions in the print industry follow a familiar cycle: receive the renewal, negotiate with the carrier, compare a few alternatives, and hope for a smaller increase next year. However, as health insurance premiums continue to outpace inflation, it has become increasingly more difficult to sustain that approach while controlling costs and competing for talent.
GKG has seen success in helping print employers across the U.S. go beyond the typical renewal cycle to stay competitive in today’s labor market and look at health benefits as a strategic business investment.
Understand Your Funding Options
After years of working hand-in-hand with print businesses, we understand that there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution to rising healthcare costs.
There are a range of health insurance plan funding models that make sense depending on your company’s size, workforce demographics, financial goals, and long-term strategy. We know the print industry is facing unique challenges, like an aging workforce, claims impact, and competition for talent, which are also worth considering.
For some, a traditional fully insured plan may still make sense. Others may benefit from exploring level-funded arrangements, self-funding, ICHRAs, captives, or other approaches.
The bottom line: don’t chase the newest solution. Understand the full spectrum of financing options and choose the structure that best fits your business.
Take a Look at Your Data Strategy
Healthcare costs have outpaced inflation for decades. According to the 2025 KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey, in the last 5 years we’ve seen a 26% increase in family health insurance premiums, while inflation and average wages have risen by 23.5% and 28.6%, respectively.
The question isn’t whether costs will rise, it’s whether your funding strategy, data, and employee benefits plan are keeping pace.
Data can help employers see what renewal numbers alone cannot. Claims trends, pharmacy spend, chronic condition patterns, preventive care participation, and utilization data can all point to opportunities for earlier intervention. For print employers, that information can support smarter decisions around funding, employee communication, wellness initiatives, and long-term cost control.
There’s Never a Bad Time to Strategize
We get it – making decisions that impact your employees’ well-being and your business’s bottom line can be daunting.
The question is no longer, “How do we reduce next year’s increase?” It is, “How do we build a healthier, more productive workforce while controlling costs over the next five years?” For print employers, the answer starts with a broader discussion about strategy, data, funding, and the employee experience.
If you’re ready to stop treating health benefits as an annual purchase and start managing your program as a long-term business strategy, a conversation with GKG is the first step to finding a solution.
To learn how GKG helps print employers evaluate health benefits strategy as PINE’s endorsed insurance partner, visit gkgrisk.com/printers or contact Sarah Armstrong and Ross Kraft.
Sarah Armstrong
SarahA@gkgrisk.com
315-838-8083
Ross Kraft
RossK@gkgrisk.com
315-794-6522
