2022 Global Medical Trends Survey Report
The cost drivers remain largely unchanged from prior years, from an insurer viewpoint:
Cancer, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal are the top three conditions by cost as was the case in the prior year (Figure 1); however, the biggest surprise was the percentage of insurers citing musculoskeletal as a top condition by cost, which jumped from 41% last year to 52% in this year’s survey. This can be largely attributed to remote workers’ sedentary lifestyle, which can increase the risk of musculoskeletal injuries.
It is expected that cancer, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal will remain the top three fastest-growing conditions by cost over the next 18 months.
fullscreenEnlarge this tableGlobal | Latin America | Asia Pacific | Europe | Middle East and Africa | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Cancer (neoplasms) | Cancer (neoplasms) | Cancer (neoplasms) | Musculoskeletal and connective tissue | Circulatory system (cardiovascular) |
2 | Circulatory system (cardiovascular) | Circulatory system (cardiovascular) | Circulatory system (cardiovascular) | Cancer (neoplasms) | Cancer (neoplasms) |
3 | Musculoskeletal and connective tissue | COVID-19 | Musculoskeletal and connective tissue | Circulatory system (cardiovascular) | Diabetes, endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases |
4 | Mental and behavioral disorders | Diabetes, endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases | Digestive system (gastrointestinal) | Mental and behavioral disorders | COVID-19 |
5 | Diabetes, endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases | Musculoskeletal and connective tissue | Injury and other consequences of external cause | Injury and other consequences of external cause | Digestive system (gastrointestinal) |
Musculoskeletal, cardiovascular and respiratory are the top three conditions by incidence (Figure 2). Cancer dropped from number one to number five this year, likely due to delayed treatment during the pandemic. This year saw musculoskeletal move into the top spot, whereas last year it was number five. The prevalence of respiratory conditions can in part be attributed to COVID-19. Looking ahead to the next 18 months, insurers expect mental and behavioral disorders, cancer and musculoskeletal to be the fastest-growing conditions in terms of incidence.
Global | Latin America | Asia Pacific | Europe | Middle East and Africa | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Musculoskeletal and connective tissue | Diabetes, endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases | Digestive system (gastrointestinal) | Musculoskeletal and connective tissue | Respiratory |
2 | Circulatory system (cardiovascular) | Digestive system (gastrointestinal) | Circulatory system (cardiovascular) | Circulatory system (cardiovascular) | Diabetes, endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases |
3 | Respiratory | Circulatory system (cardiovascular) | Musculoskeletal and connective tissue | Cancer (neoplasms) | COVID-19 |
4 | Digestive system (gastrointestinal) | COVID-19 | Respiratory | Mental and behavioral disorders | Musculoskeletal and connective tissue |
5 | Cancer (neoplasms) | Cancer (neoplasms) | Cancer (neoplasms) | Digestive system (gastrointestinal) | Mental and behavioral disorders |
Cancer continues to be the leading condition by cost in Latin America and Asia Pacific. In Europe, musculoskeletal is the leading condition by cost; in the Middle East and Africa cardiovascular is the costliest condition.
Cardiovascular is the second leading condition by cost in Latin America and Asia Pacific. Cancer is the second costliest condition in Europe and in the Middle East and Africa.
When it comes to incidence of claims, there is even more variation by region. In Latin America, respondents rated diabetes as the leading condition by incidence, whereas in Asia Pacific, gastrointestinal is the top condition. In Europe, musculoskeletal is the leading condition by incidence; in Middle East and Africa, respiratory is in the top spot.
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Title | File Type | File Size |
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2022 Global Medical Trends Survey Report | 15.1 MB |