Mercer's Marketplace exchange experienced explosive growth during the 2015 open enrollment period, the company announced Wednesday. Initial numbers reveal that participation increased nearly fivefold from the previous year.
Mercer said 247 — including 40 new clients — now use the exchange. These companies represent more than 500,000 employees and retirees, and when dependents are included, nearly one million total lives.
By comparison, a year ago the exchange served 52 companies, with 110,000 eligible employees and 220,000 covered lives.
Recommended For You
Sharon Cunninghis, Mercer Marketplace leader, attributes much of the growth to the exchange's ability to hold down costs.
- Many consumers purchased lower-cost medical plans when given a range of options, according to an analysis of purchasing behavior.
- Access to Mercer network arrangements, care management and prescription drug programs helped employers save up to 15 percent on medical plan expenses.
- Employers saved 10 percent on life and disability benefit costs.
"These savings result from Mercer Marketplace's purchasing power combined with consumer decisions to purchase coverage that is more appropriate to their personal needs," Cunninghis said. "The fact that employers were able to achieve significant cost savings while offering their employees the ability to personalize their benefits is exciting news. This satisfaction from both companies and individuals gives others confidence in the exchange experience and positions this as one of the standard benefits models of the future."
One emerging trend is that several companies now provide voluntary benefits through the marketplace, covering 330,000 employees and 730,000 lives, including dependents. Although this is a relatively small number, Cunninghis said, the exchange platform "provides an avenue for both employers and employees to begin to experience the advantages the exchange platform offers."
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
Alan Goforth
Alan Goforth is a freelance writer in suburban Kansas City. In addition to freelancing for several publications, he has written a dozen books about sports and other topics.
