MMB health trends 2023 

The top trends shaping employer-provided healthcare

MMB’s Health Trends global survey of 226 insurers across 56 countries identified five key themes driving costs and risks in employee health benefits.

Five key trends

Top trends driving the future of employer-provided healthcare
  • Per-person medical cost

    Per-person medical cost increases are back to pre-pandemic levels. 68% of insurers expect plan sponsors to prioritise design improvements despite forecasted double-digit medical trend rates in some markets.
  • Claims experience

    COVID-19 continues to impact claims experience. 55% of insurers report an increase in later-stage diagnosis of illness due to deferred care.
  • Plan modernisation

    Plan modernisation has begun. 1 in 2 insurers has changed or expects to change eligibility requirements and eligible expenses to make coverage more inclusive for those who identify as LGBTQ+.
  • Mental health gaps

    Mental health gaps persist. 16% of insurers report not providing plans that cover mental health services (versus 26% in 2022).
  • Plan management

    Plan management requires greater rigour. More than 1 in 5 insurers in Asia are adjusting medical plan premiums based on COVID-19 vaccination status.
These trends are important for employers to consider as while many firms have latitude in designing their benefit plan to meet their needs, insurers play a key role in shaping the benefits landscape. They do this through their standard practices and policy language, their willingness to adopt new provisions, and their access to large pools of claims data.
A significant number of insurers are adding innovative features to medical products, such as digital health and self-care tools to ways of connecting individuals with better quality care.

Download the Health Trends Report

MMB Health Trends 2023

Get an in-depth look at the latest medical trends and learn how you can respond to them by downloading the full report.

MMB Health Trends 2023 Infographic

A bite-sized overview of the key findings from this year’s research.

Insurer innovation is one silver lining of COVID-19

COVID-19 has had significant short- and long-term impacts on people’s lives, health risks, costs and diagnosis. However, it has also driven insurer innovation and plan modernisation.
Infographic showing how insurers plan to extend their digital portfolios