Health plan cost increases outstrip inflation

And not all regions will experience a decrease.

“While the global average medical trend is expected to mildly decline relative to the estimates in 2014, three regions — Asia Pacific, Europe and Latin America — are projected to see an uptick in rates for 2015,” the report said.

Factors that are driving the pattern of double-digit cost increases for multinational employer medical plans are, according to Aon Hewitt:

• Increased utilization of private medical plans;
• Aging population in general and an aging worker population;
• Higher incidence of chronic health issues among workers.

The specific drivers of health plan cost increases worldwide were identified as cardiovascular issues, cancer and diabetes, in that order. Risk factors cited as drivers of future claims were high blood pressure, poor stress management and high cholesterol, in that order.