Large US employers are pushing mental health support into apps and text channels fast, with 39% expanding their employee assistance programs to include therapy via text and 11% adding AI chatbot therapy and coaching, yet the largest cross-sectional study of workplace wellbeing programs found that participants in interventions such as wellbeing apps were no better off than coworkers who skipped them (Mercer, Survey on Health and Benefit Strategies for 2027; Fleming, Industrial Relations Journal 2024). The demand is real: 73% of large employers reported rising use of mental health and substance use disorder services (Business Group on Health, 2026 Employer Health Care Strategy Survey), and only 70% of employers believe their main health plan offers timely access to mental health care, against 92% for primary care (KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey 2025). At the same time, health benefit costs are expected to rise 8.2% per employee in 2027, the highest increase since 2003 (Mercer, National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans 2026), which puts every subsidized app under budget review. Related trends in stress-heavy roles appear in our call center agent burnout statistics. We aggregated data from KFF, the Business Group on Health, Mercer, the American Psychological Association, SEC filings from Talkspace, Teladoc Health, Hinge Health and Omada Health, Wellhub, the IRS, federal wellness program regulations, and peer-reviewed trials and meta-analyses.
TL;DR
- 56% of small firms and 83% of large firms offering health benefits run a smoking, weight or lifestyle coaching program (KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey 2025).
- 70% of employers believe their largest plan provides timely mental health access, vs 92% for primary care (KFF 2025).
- Large employers expanded EAPs with therapy via text (39%), self-paced online CBT (35%) and AI chatbot coaching (11%) (Mercer, Survey on Health and Benefit Strategies for 2027).
- 73% of large employers saw increased use of mental health and substance use services; 17% more expect it (Business Group on Health 2026 survey).
- 51% of large employers are changing or bidding out other health and well-being vendors (Business Group on Health 2026 survey).
- Health benefit cost per employee is projected to rise 8.2% in 2027, the highest since 2003 (Mercer National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans 2026, preliminary).
- Hinge Health Q2 2026 revenue rose 53% to 213 million dollars with 2,929 clients (Hinge Health Q2 2026 results, SEC Form 8-K).
- Talkspace’s employer and enterprise (DTE) revenue grew only 3.7% in 2025 while payor revenue grew 37.9% (Talkspace 10-K 2025).
- Wellhub connects nearly 40,000 corporate clients and 5 million+ employee subscribers to 100,000 fitness and wellness partners (Wellhub, 2026).
- Workplace digital mental health tools show small effects: stress θ = -0.165 across 81 RCTs and 25,500 participants (Stratton et al., JMIR 2025).
- Only 192 of 1,029 employees in a workplace Calm app trial completed all assessments (Huberty et al., JMIR mHealth and uHealth 2022).
- IRS Publication 15-B (2026): gym or athletic club memberships are not excludable as de minimis fringe benefits (IRS 2026).
1. How Many Employers Fund Wellness Programs
Wellness spending is no longer a perk of the largest companies, but the gap by firm size is still wide. 83% of large firms offering health benefits run at least one program in smoking cessation, weight management or behavioral and lifestyle coaching, against 56% of firms with 10 to 199 workers (KFF, Employer Health Benefits Survey 2025). Those programs are the channel through which most meditation, coaching and fitness apps reach employees, because a subsidized app is usually bought as a wellness or coaching component rather than as a standalone benefit.
Incentives do much of the work. More than half of large firms that offer a health risk assessment, and 62% of large firms with biometric screening, use incentives or penalties to drive completion. The access data explain why employers keep layering apps on top of insurance: employers rate their plans’ mental health networks far below their primary care networks, and 30% of firms now contract for virtual primary care that goes beyond their plan networks.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Firms offering a smoking, weight or lifestyle coaching program | 56% (10 to 199 workers), 83% (larger firms) | KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey 2025 |
| Firms offering a health risk assessment | 35% (10 to 199 workers), 53% (larger firms) | KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey 2025 |
| Large firms using incentives or penalties for health risk assessments | 53% | KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey 2025 |
| Firms offering biometric screening | 22% (10 to 199 workers), 43% (larger firms) | KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey 2025 |
| Large firms using incentives or penalties for biometric screening | 62% | KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey 2025 |
| Employers saying their largest plan gives timely access to care | Mental health 70%, specialty care 89%, primary care 92% | KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey 2025 |
| Firms contracting for virtual primary care beyond plan networks | 30% | KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey 2025 |
Context note: KFF surveyed 1,862 firms for its 2025 survey; “larger firms” means 200 or more workers. The KFF wellness questions cover program availability, not employee enrollment, so the share of workers who actually use a subsidized app is not captured here.
2. Mental Health Benefits Move Into Text, Self-Guided CBT and Chatbots
The center of gravity in employer mental health spending is shifting from the phone-based EAP to always-on digital channels. 39% of large US employers have expanded their EAP to include therapy via text, 35% to include online self-paced cognitive behavioral therapy, and 11% to include AI chatbot therapy and coaching (Mercer, Survey on Health and Benefit Strategies for 2027). A third of large employers (33%) offer in-person counseling at one or more worksites or will in 2027, so digital tools are being added alongside human care rather than replacing it.
Demand keeps pushing the budget line up. 73% of large employers reported an increase in mental health and substance use disorder services, and another 17% anticipate one (Business Group on Health, 2026 Employer Health Care Strategy Survey). KFF’s 2024 survey had already found 48% of large employers increasing counseling resources through an EAP or third-party vendors, naming Headspace and Lyra Health as examples (KFF, Employer Health Benefits Survey 2024). The question for 2026 is no longer whether to offer digital mental health, but which of several overlapping vendors to keep.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Large employers whose EAP now includes therapy via text | 39% | Mercer, Survey on Health and Benefit Strategies for 2027 |
| Large employers whose EAP includes online self-paced CBT | 35% | Mercer, Survey on Health and Benefit Strategies for 2027 |
| Large employers whose EAP includes AI chatbot therapy and coaching | 11% | Mercer, Survey on Health and Benefit Strategies for 2027 |
| Large employers offering worksite in-person counseling (now or in 2027) | 33% | Mercer, Survey on Health and Benefit Strategies for 2027 |
| Large employers reporting increased mental health and SUD service use | 73% (17% more anticipate an increase) | Business Group on Health 2026 survey |
| Large employers that increased counseling resources via EAP or vendors such as Headspace or Lyra Health | 48% | KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey 2024 |
| Mental health and substance use network rated ‘very broad’ | 30% of firms (46% of firms with 200+ workers) | KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey 2024 |
Context note: Mercer’s survey covered 604 US organizations and was fielded April 15 to May 8, 2026; “large” means 500 or more employees. The Business Group on Health survey covered 121 large employers representing 11.6 million people, fielded June to July 2025. On the employee side, workers satisfied with their employer’s mental health support were less likely to worry about losing their job in a downturn (42% vs 52% of unsatisfied workers) in a survey of 2,017 employed adults (American Psychological Association, 2025 Work in America Survey).
3. Budget Pressure: Every Wellness Vendor Is Up for Review
Subsidized apps sit inside the health budget, and that budget is under the most pressure in two decades. Total health benefit cost per employee is expected to rise 8.2% on average in 2027, the highest increase since 2003, and 11% if employers made no changes (Mercer, National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans 2026, preliminary results). Large employers surveyed by the Business Group on Health project a median 9.2% trend for 2027, reduced to 8% with plan design changes (Business Group on Health, 2027 Employer Healthcare Strategy Survey).
That pressure lands directly on point solutions. 51% of large employers are changing or running an RFP for health and well-being vendor relationships other than their PBM, according to the Business Group on Health’s 2026 survey, while 41% are changing PBMs or bidding them out. For app vendors, this means renewals increasingly depend on showing claims savings, not engagement dashboards, which is the context for the vendor-authored ROI studies covered in section 7.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Projected health benefit cost increase per employee, 2027 | 8.2% after changes (11% without), highest since 2003 | Mercer National Survey 2026 (preliminary) |
| Projected increase reported for 2026 | 6.7% | Mercer National Survey 2026 (preliminary) |
| Employers planning cost-cutting benefit changes for 2027 | 59% | Mercer National Survey 2026 (preliminary) |
| Large employers expecting changes that raise employee out-of-pocket costs | 48% | Mercer, Survey on Health and Benefit Strategies for 2027 |
| Median large-employer cost trend, 2027 | 9.2% (8% after plan design changes) | Business Group on Health 2027 survey |
| Median large-employer cost trend, 2026 | 9% (7.6% after plan design changes) | Business Group on Health 2026 survey |
| Large employers changing or bidding out other health and well-being vendors | 51% (41% for PBMs) | Business Group on Health 2026 survey |
| Average annual premium, 2025 | 26,993 dollars family, 9,325 dollars single | KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey 2025 |
Context note: Mercer’s preliminary 2026 national survey draws on more than 1,800 US employers responding through August 10, 2026. The Business Group on Health 2027 survey covered 127 large employers (8.7 million people in the US) in June 2026, and its cost-driver ranking is telling for wellness buyers: cancer was the top-three driver for 92% of employers and musculoskeletal conditions for 68%, the condition Hinge Health targets.
4. The Vendors: What SEC Filings Show About the Employer Channel
Public filings are the only audited window into the companies that sell digital health to employers, and they point in different directions. Hinge Health, which sells digital musculoskeletal care to employers and health plans, grew Q2 2026 revenue 53% to 213 million dollars and reached 2,929 clients, up from 2,359 a year earlier (Hinge Health Q2 2026 results, Form 8-K Exhibit 99.1). Omada Health, whose customers include employers, health plans and PBMs, grew Q2 2026 revenue 43% to 88 million dollars and total members 45% (Omada Health Q2 2026 results, Form 8-K).
Mental health vendors show a different picture. Talkspace’s Direct-to-Enterprise segment, which contracts with employers, schools and government on a per-member-per-month, per-use or fixed-fee basis, grew just 3.7% in 2025 (39.88 million vs 38.47 million dollars), while its payor segment grew 37.9% (Talkspace 10-K 2025, revenue disaggregation). Teladoc’s direct-pay BetterHelp segment shrank 9% in 2025 to 950.4 million dollars, and Teladoc said it accelerated an insurance-covered rollout after demand outpaced provider capacity (Teladoc Health Q2 2026 results). Money in digital mental health is flowing through insurance benefits more than through standalone employer contracts.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Hinge Health Q2 2026 revenue | 213 million dollars (+53% year over year) | Hinge Health Q2 2026 Form 8-K |
| Hinge Health clients, June 30, 2026 | 2,929 (vs 2,359, +24%) | Hinge Health Q2 2026 Form 8-K |
| Hinge Health full-year 2026 revenue guidance | 856 to 860 million dollars (+46% at midpoint) | Hinge Health Q2 2026 Form 8-K |
| Omada Health Q2 2026 revenue / member growth | 88 million dollars (vs 61 million) / members +45% | Omada Health Q2 2026 Form 8-K |
| Talkspace 2025 revenue by segment | Payor 171.5M, DTE 39.9M, Consumer 17.5M dollars (total 228.9M) | Talkspace 10-K 2025 |
| Talkspace payor-covered sessions completed | 1,617,000 in 2025 (vs 1,229,200 in 2024) | Talkspace 10-K 2025 |
| Teladoc BetterHelp revenue, full-year 2025 | 950.4 million dollars (-9%), 37.6% of Teladoc’s 2,530.0 million total | Teladoc Health Q4 2025 Form 8-K |
| Teladoc BetterHelp, Q2 2026 | 212.6 million dollars revenue (-12%), 0.346 million paying users (-11%) | Teladoc Health Q2 2026 Form 8-K |
Context note: Talkspace growth rates and segment shares are our calculations from the 10-K table (171,518 / 124,339 = +37.9%; 39,880 / 38,466 = +3.7%; DTE share 39,880 / 228,871 = 17.4%). BetterHelp’s share is 950,367 / 2,529,977 from Teladoc’s Q4 2025 release. Talkspace consumer active members fell to about 5,000 at year-end 2025 from 7,200 (Talkspace 10-K 2025). Headspace, Calm, Lyra Health and Spring Health are private and do not publish audited revenue.
5. Fitness Subsidies: Gym Networks Replace the Reimbursement Form
Receipt-based gym reimbursement now competes with aggregator subscriptions that bundle gyms, studios and apps under one employer contract. The largest of them reports scale that rivals traditional benefits vendors: Wellhub says it connects nearly 40,000 corporate clients and more than 5 million employee subscribers to 100,000 gyms, studios and digital wellness providers, including 25,000 in the US, and that check-ins grew from 100 million in 2022 to 1 billion in 2025 (Wellhub, Payouts to Gyms Doubled in 2025).
The usage data suggest employees blend physical and digital options. In Wellhub’s analysis of more than 32,000 companies (October 2024 to September 2025), one in four employees used both digital and in-person options, up eight points, and these hybrid users averaged 19 monthly check-ins against 9 for in-person-only and 8 for digital-only users (Wellhub, A Look Back at Employee Wellbeing in 2025). Mental health was among the fastest-growing categories, with check-ins up 58% after 48% growth in 2024.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Wellhub corporate clients / employee subscribers | Nearly 40,000 / more than 5 million | Wellhub, 2026 |
| Gyms, studios and digital wellness partners | 100,000 globally (25,000 in the US) | Wellhub, 2026 |
| Platform check-ins | 100 million (2022) to 1 billion (2025) | Wellhub, 2026 |
| Gross payouts to fitness partners, 2025 | +107% globally (US nearly doubled) | Wellhub, 2026 |
| Users visiting a gym or studio for the first time | More than 90% | Wellhub, 2026 |
| Employees using both digital and in-person options, 2025 | 25% (up 8 points) | Wellhub, A Look Back at Employee Wellbeing in 2025 |
| Monthly check-ins: hybrid / in-person only / digital only users | 19 / 9 / 8 | Wellhub, A Look Back at Employee Wellbeing in 2025 |
| Mental health category check-in growth | +58% in 2025 (+48% in 2024) | Wellhub, A Look Back at Employee Wellbeing in 2025 |
Context note: these are vendor-reported figures from a private company and have not been independently audited. Wellhub’s Return on Wellbeing 2026 survey of 1,500+ HR and benefits leaders in 10 countries reports that 92% of US organizations say wellness programs improved employee productivity; that is a self-assessment by program buyers, not a measured productivity effect. Fitness habits outside the office also feed into the remote work patterns described in our hybrid work compliance statistics.
6. Reimbursement Rules: What US Tax and Benefits Law Allows
The rules shape how subsidies are designed. Under federal wellness program regulations, reimbursing employees for all or part of a fitness center membership is listed as an example of a participatory wellness program, while rewards in health-contingent programs are capped at 30% of the total cost of employee-only coverage, or 50% for programs designed to prevent or reduce tobacco use (29 CFR 2590.702, Cornell LII).
Tax treatment is less generous than many employees assume. IRS Publication 15-B (2026) states that membership in a private country club or athletic facility is not excludable as a de minimis fringe benefit, regardless of how often the employee uses it, and that cash and cash equivalents are never de minimis (IRS Publication 15-B, 2026). An on-premises gym the employer operates is the exception. Health club dues are also not a deductible medical expense, while psychiatric care and psychologist fees are (IRS Publication 502, 2025), which helps explain why therapy benefits usually sit inside health plans and EAPs while gym perks sit outside them.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum reward, health-contingent wellness programs | 30% of total cost of employee-only coverage | 29 CFR 2590.702 |
| Maximum reward, tobacco prevention or reduction programs | 50% | 29 CFR 2590.702 |
| Fitness center membership reimbursement | Listed example of a participatory wellness program | 29 CFR 2590.702 |
| Employer-operated on-premises gym | Excludable if substantially all use is by employees, spouses and dependent children | IRS Publication 15-B (2026) |
| Athletic facility or country club membership | Not excludable as a de minimis fringe benefit | IRS Publication 15-B (2026) |
| Health club dues as a medical expense | Not includible (psychiatric care and psychologist fees are) | IRS Publication 502 (2025) |
| Wellness indemnity payment example in IRS memo | 1,000 dollars included in income and wages, subject to FICA, FUTA and income tax withholding | IRS Chief Counsel Memorandum 202323006 (2023) |
Context note: the IRS memorandum addressed employer-funded fixed-indemnity policies that pay employees for completing wellness activities; it concluded such payments are includible in gross income if the employee has no unreimbursed medical expenses related to the payment (IRS Chief Counsel Memorandum 202323006). Rules described here are US federal rules only.
7. Outcomes: Independent Trials vs Vendor-Authored ROI Studies
The evidence splits cleanly by who did the study. Independent research finds small or no effects: a 2025 meta-analysis of 81 randomized trials covering 98 workplace digital mental health interventions and 25,500 participants found small effects on depression (θ = -0.167), anxiety (θ = -0.211) and stress (θ = -0.165) (Stratton et al., Journal of Medical Internet Research 2025). An Oxford analysis of 46,336 workers in 233 UK organisations found that participants in interventions such as resilience training, mindfulness and wellbeing apps “appear no better off” than nonparticipants (Fleming, Industrial Relations Journal 2024). And in a clustered RCT across 160 worksites, a comprehensive wellness program improved self-reported exercise (69.8% vs 61.9%) but had no significant effect on clinical markers, spending or employment outcomes after 18 months (Song and Baicker, JAMA 2019).
Vendor-authored studies report much larger payoffs. A Spring Health meta-analysis of 19 employer-specific matched-cohort studies (42,148 participants) reported an ROI of 2.3 and net savings of 159 dollars per member per month (Hawrilenko et al., Journal of Health Economics and Outcomes Research 2025), and a Lyra Health study of 5,450 employees in therapy estimated productivity savings of 4,806 dollars per employee per year at the median US salary (Espel-Huynh et al., Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2025). Engagement is the hidden variable: in a workplace Calm trial, only 192 of 1,029 enrolled employees (18.7%) completed all assessments. Burnout in high-strain professions, where these tools are most often deployed, is tracked in our emergency physician burnout statistics.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Workplace digital mental health RCTs pooled | 81 RCTs, 98 interventions, 25,500 participants; stress θ = -0.165 | Stratton et al., JMIR 2025 |
| Mindfulness app effect vs control (all populations) | Depression g = 0.24 (N = 5,852), anxiety g = 0.28 (N = 6,082) | Linardon et al., Clinical Psychology Review 2024 |
| Workers comparing participants vs nonparticipants | 46,336 workers, 233 organisations: participants no better off | Fleming, Industrial Relations Journal 2024 |
| Comprehensive workplace wellness RCT | 160 worksites, 32,974 employees: no effect on spending or clinical markers at 18 months | Song and Baicker, JAMA 2019 |
| Meditation app RCT in two UK companies | 238 employees, average 17 sessions in 8 weeks; well-being and job strain gains sustained at 16 weeks | Bostock et al., Journal of Occupational Health Psychology 2019 |
| Calm workplace trial completion | 192 of 1,029 enrolled (18.7%) completed all assessments | Huberty et al., JMIR mHealth and uHealth 2022 |
| Spring Health-authored ROI meta-analysis | ROI 2.3 (95% CI 1.9-2.8), net savings 159 dollars PMPM | Hawrilenko et al., JHEOR 2025 |
| Lyra Health-authored productivity study | 4,806 dollars PEPY average; 20,882 dollars for high-severity baseline (n = 5,450) | Espel-Huynh et al., JOEM 2025 |
Context note: the Spring Health and Lyra Health studies were written by company employees, and the Calm trial’s lead author was affiliated with Calm; they are observational or company-run analyses and should be read as vendor evidence. A Spring Health-authored study of 742,658 people reported a 36% relative increase in mental health care use compared with health plan utilization (Baum et al., Population Health Management 2026). The Linardon meta-analysis covers 45 RCTs in general populations, not only employees. The Bostock trial, the Huberty trial and the JAMA RCT are the most recent available randomized evidence of their kind (2019 and 2022). An umbrella review of 14 systematic reviews rated quality critically low for 7 and low for the other 7 (Cameron et al., JMIR Mental Health 2025), and a 2026 scoping review of 54 studies covering 44 workplace apps found few studies on real-world workplace implementation (Addanki et al., JMIR mHealth and uHealth 2026). For remote teams, digital fatigue itself is part of the problem these tools target, as covered in our video meeting fatigue statistics.
Summary: Employer-Subsidized Wellness Apps by the Numbers
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Large firms offering smoking, weight or lifestyle coaching programs | 83% (56% of small firms) | KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey 2025 |
| Employers rating mental health access as timely | 70% (vs 92% primary care) | KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey 2025 |
| Large employers with text therapy in EAP | 39% | Mercer, Survey on Health and Benefit Strategies for 2027 |
| Large employers with AI chatbot therapy and coaching in EAP | 11% | Mercer, Survey on Health and Benefit Strategies for 2027 |
| Large employers seeing increased mental health and SUD service use | 73% | Business Group on Health 2026 survey |
| Large employers that increased counseling resources via EAP or vendors | 48% | KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey 2024 |
| Large employers changing or bidding out well-being vendors | 51% | Business Group on Health 2026 survey |
| Projected health benefit cost increase, 2027 | 8.2% (highest since 2003) | Mercer National Survey 2026 (preliminary) |
| Median large-employer cost trend, 2027 | 9.2% | Business Group on Health 2027 survey |
| Hinge Health Q2 2026 revenue growth | +53% (213 million dollars) | Hinge Health Q2 2026 Form 8-K |
| Omada Health Q2 2026 member growth | +45% | Omada Health Q2 2026 Form 8-K |
| Talkspace DTE (employer and enterprise) revenue, 2025 | 39.9 million dollars (+3.7%) | Talkspace 10-K 2025 |
| Teladoc BetterHelp revenue, 2025 | 950.4 million dollars (-9%) | Teladoc Health Q4 2025 Form 8-K |
| Wellhub corporate clients | Nearly 40,000 | Wellhub, 2026 |
| Wellhub check-ins, 2025 | 1 billion (10x 2022) | Wellhub, 2026 |
| Health-contingent wellness reward cap | 30% of employee-only coverage cost (50% tobacco) | 29 CFR 2590.702 |
| Workplace digital mental health effect on stress | θ = -0.165 (81 RCTs) | Stratton et al., JMIR 2025 |
| Workers in wellbeing programs vs nonparticipants | No better off (n = 46,336) | Fleming, Industrial Relations Journal 2024 |
| Vendor-reported ROI of employer mental health program | 2.3 | Hawrilenko et al., JHEOR 2025 |
Methodology and Sources
Every figure above was read during research for this article in a survey publication, an SEC filing, a government rule or publication, a peer-reviewed abstract, or a company press release. Vendor-reported figures are labeled as such. Calculations are shown where we derived a percentage.
- KFF: Employer Health Benefits Survey 2025, Employer Health Benefits Survey 2024
- Business Group on Health: 2026 Employer Health Care Strategy Survey (August 19, 2025), 2027 Employer Healthcare Strategy Survey (August 25, 2026)
- Mercer (a business of Marsh): Survey on Health and Benefit Strategies for 2027 (June 11, 2026), National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans 2026, preliminary results (September 2, 2026)
- American Psychological Association: 2025 Work in America Survey
- SEC filings: Hinge Health Q2 2026 Form 8-K Exhibit 99.1, Omada Health Q2 2026 Form 8-K, Talkspace 10-K 2025 and its revenue disaggregation table, Teladoc Health Q4 2025 Form 8-K, Teladoc Health Q2 2026 Form 8-K
- Wellhub (vendor-reported): Payouts to Gyms Doubled in 2025, A Look Back at Employee Wellbeing in 2025 (December 4, 2025), Return on Wellbeing 2026
- US federal rules: 29 CFR 2590.702, wellness programs (Cornell LII), IRS Publication 15-B (2026), IRS Publication 502 (2025), IRS Chief Counsel Memorandum 202323006 (2023)
- Peer-reviewed research via Europe PMC and Crossref: Stratton et al., JMIR 2025, Cameron et al., JMIR Mental Health 2025, Addanki et al., JMIR mHealth and uHealth 2026, Fleming, Industrial Relations Journal 2024, Song and Baicker, JAMA 2019, Linardon et al., Clinical Psychology Review 2024, Bostock et al., Journal of Occupational Health Psychology 2019, Huberty et al., JMIR mHealth and uHealth 2022, Hawrilenko et al., JHEOR 2025, Espel-Huynh et al., JOEM 2025, Baum et al., Population Health Management 2026
- Data watch: Cost-trend projections differ by survey population: Mercer’s preliminary national survey (1,800+ US employers) projects 8.2% for 2027, while the Business Group on Health (127 large employers) reports a 9.2% median; both are cited with their own definitions. Headspace, Calm, Lyra Health and Spring Health are private, and their own report pages could not be loaded (tracker-only or blocked responses), so their market data are absent and their research appears only through peer-reviewed papers their staff authored. Third-party corporate wellness market-size estimates (Grand View Research, Fortune Business Insights) were blocked or unavailable and were not used. SHRM’s 2026 Employee Benefits Survey data are member-only and were not used. BLS National Compensation Survey releases for March 2025 no longer report wellness program access, so no government prevalence series is cited. The KFF 2024 figure on increased counseling resources is the most recent available data on that question; the Song and Baicker RCT (2019), Bostock trial (2019) and Huberty trial (2022) are the most recent available randomized evidence of their kind. Wellhub figures are vendor-reported and unaudited. Hinge Health’s quarterly release reports clients but not member counts, and Omada Health’s release reports member growth but not the share of members sponsored by employers, so neither employer-only usage figure is available.
Last updated: October 3, 2026. We update this roundup quarterly, and the next refresh is expected when KFF publishes its 2026 Employer Health Benefits Survey and Teladoc Health, Hinge Health, Omada Health and Talkspace file their Q3 2026 results.