ICHRA has been gaining steam, and a new survey suggests that these plans may be hitting the mainstream.
The study from SureCo, which administers individual coverage health reimbursement arrangements, or ICHRA, finds that 56% of brokers are now recommending the program as an option. The number of brokers who said they moved at least one client to an ICHRA plan reached 37% in 2026, increasing from 15% in 2024.
Under ICHRA, an employer offers workers a stipend to purchase coverage on the marketplaces rather than offering a benefit directly. Proponents of the program argue that it offers greater choice for consumers to find plans that meet their or their families' unique needs, and that ICHRA can make it easier for smaller firms to provide benefits.
The report, backed by insurer Oscar Health, includes responses from 1,500 human resources professionals, finance leaders, employees and benefits consultants, and was fielded in late February 2026. Study participants represented employers with between 150 and 2,500 workers.
Across the three years included in the study, 91% of employers that made the shift to ICHRA said it paid off.
"ICHRA is no longer confined to edge cases or moments of disruption," said Matthew Kim, CEO of SureCo, in the announcement. "It is increasingly being evaluated as part of the standard renewal process and is discussed earlier, modeled more rigorously, and positioned as a viable path forward, not just a fallback."
"What changed in 2026 is not just awareness or adoption, it’s how the entire market is behaving around it," Kim said.
The growing interest in ICHRA tracks with the continuous rise in costs for employer-sponsored health plans, according to the report. Family premiums in job-based insurance increased by 6% in 2025 to $26,993, according to an analysis from KFF.
That represents a 26% increase over the past five years, which outpaces the rate of inflation, KFF said.
Most (90%) of the employers surveyed said they saw a rate increase for 2026, and one in three absorbed one in the double digits. Fifty-two percent of senior benefits leaders said that the cost of healthcare keeps them up at night, the survey found.
Almost all (94%) of the surveyed benefits leaders said they have looked into alternatives to manage costs. Brokers said that clients who switched to ICHRA saw an average savings of 15.5%, according to the report.
SureCo said, though, that while there's a growing base of data behind ICHRA, there remain significant educational barriers, and there are improvements to be made in supporting employees. Brokers and insurers that invest in education around ICHRA will see the benefits, per the report.
"The structural case for ICHRA has been made," Kim said. "What determines who wins the next phase is execution; specifically, the quality of education and support employers and administrators deliver to employees."