Just as urgent, employers need to leverage data analytics, clinical informatics and claims data to better identify health risk trends and analyze contracts with providers, resulting in savings not visible on the surface. This type of analysis is at the forefront of cutting costs — especially pharmaceutical expenses. Reduce the overall cost of pharmacy benefits — Prescription drug costs are growing at nearly twice the rate of overall health benefit costs, driven largely by specialty drugs. Gene therapy and weight loss drugs, for example, can cost organizations millions, if not actively managed. According to the HUB survey, 39% of U.S. firms plan to address rising pharmacy drug costs by re- evaluating their consultant/broker relationship. U.S. firms may be feeling some pressure in response to recent lawsuits filed against employers for failure to protect the interests of employees and families enrolled in Rx plans administered by a Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM). Re-evaluating PBM contracts is one way to reduce potential liability. Q Which of the following issues are a key priority for 2025 that your company needs to address? N=910 69% 67% 59% 49% 36% 80 90 100 Companies that have assigned a high priority to AI intend to use it to achieve cost savings through operational efÏciencies or staff reductions. Those prioritizing AI recognize there are legal and compliance concerns that must be addressed with over half of them planning to revise their HR policies in 2025 (55% of U.S. and 54% of Canadian firms). HUB International 2025 North American Outlook Report | 16