Health care benefits are expected to hit a new milestone in 2019, with costs approaching a mind-boggling $15,000 per employee according to a new report issued by the National Business Group on Health. The report also reveals that the majority of employers view the rise of artificial intelligence and telemedicine as a major player in the disruption of health care in 2019. A full 51 percent of companies have made virtual-care solutions their top initiative, while 43 percent believe that artificial intelligence will play a major role in solving the problem of escalating costs.

With costs at a new record high, companies are reaching the limit of being able to pass on these costs to their employees. Cost-sharing techniques have resulted in employees bearing 30 percent, a total of $4,500 a year, making health care nearly unaffordable for many. Rates have averaged an increase of over 5 percent annually for the last five years. Companies are demanding solutions and are turning to technology to save the day.

“Seven in 10 employers believe new market entrants from outside the health care industry are needed to disrupt health care in a positive way,” says Brian Marcotte, CEO of National Business Group on Health. “Disruptors include innovators from Silicon Valley and elsewhere.”