By 2026, the cost of corporate health in Latin America will grow faster than in any other region of the world.
For a Central American CEO or CFO, that phrase should set off the same alarm as an unexpected rise in the exchange rate or in the price of energy. The difference is that the exchange rate is reviewed every week. The renewal of group insurance is almost always reviewed once a year and almost always without comparison.
According to Mercer Marsh Benefits' Health Trends 2026 report, global medical inflation is projected at 10.3% by 2026. Latin America has the most pronounced acceleration in the world: it goes from 10.5% to 11.9%, above North America (9.2%) and Europe (8.2%).
Harvard Business Review confirmed it in December 2025: the consolidation of medical providers, the high price of drugs, and the rise in chronic diseases are putting pressure on the cost of business health plans across the continent. The most common response has been to pass the cost on to the employee - but the magazine recommends something different: bundled purchasing, curated supplier networks, and active negotiation at every renewal.
In Central America, Estrategia & Negocios confirms the same pressure: insurers in the region are adjusting rates to sustain margins in the face of the increased frequency of claims.
The question worth taking to your next steering committee: do you know today the expected increase in your group insurance renewal, or will you only know when the bill arrives? When was the last time you compared your current premium against at least two additional insurers, with the actual claims history on the table?
Corporate benefits and insurance almost never pass through the same financial filter as energy or logistics. They are managed in a Human Resources silo, with no competition between suppliers. And today it is, according to the evidence itself, one of the fastest growing categories of spending in the world.
At ERA Group we work with Central American companies with a turnover of between US$20 and US$150 million, identifying and materializing real savings in energy, logistics, IT, packaging, raw materials and, increasingly, corporate insurance. If we don't find savings, we don't charge fees.
If your company has not compared its group insurance renewal in the last twelve months, write to me and we will coordinate a Feasibility Study at no cost or obligation.
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