Medical trends continue to outpace inflation by almost three times — the average global medical trend rate for 2018 was 9.7 percent, with a similar increase expected for 2019 and an even higher rate for 2020.
That’s a key finding of Mercer Marsh Benefits’ most recent Medical Trends Around the World report, which surveyed 204 insurers across 59 countries (not including the United States, a unique health care market) earlier this year. It tells us that at a time when the global workforce is demanding a broader set of rewards and more engaging program delivery, employers that do not use active plan management strategies may have to allocate more and more of their remuneration budgets toward benefits, according to Hervé Balzano, International Health Leader of Mercer Marsh Benefits.
