Benefit consultants from Mercer, Aon AON.N and Willis Towers Watson WTW.O see employer healthcare costs jumping 5.4% to 8.5% in 2024 due to medical inflation, soaring demand for costly weight-loss drugs and wider availability of high-priced gene therapies. Of its projected 8.5% increase in employer healthcare costs for next year, Aon anticipates 1 percentage point coming from weight-loss drugs alone. "Employees are given incentive that says if you go here, you pay less," said Janet Faircloth, senior vice president of Aon's health innovation team.