MMB Health Trends 2025
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Asia has the highest projected medical trend rates in 2025 globally
More than half of the markets are seeing trend rates above 10% in 2024 and 2025, with Asia leading at 13%, more than 5 times inflation. This is largely driven by higher utilization changes, medical inflation and treatment changes.
Health Trends 2025 highlights familiar issues: costly cancer claims, unmet mental and reproductive health needs, and rising medical costs. However, significant changes are occurring behind these challenges, and employers and insurers must adapt their responses.
To guide employers managing health and benefits plans, Mercer Marsh Benefits (MMB) surveyed 225 insurers across 55 countries, including 77 insurers from Asia, to learn the top trends impacting health plans, and identified essential actions employers can take to balance rising healthcare costs and employees’ diverse needs.
Three key trends in Asia revealed
- 1 Manage cancer as an intensifying risk
- 2 Deploy new techniques to keep plans affordable
- 3 Meet the unique needs of the workforce
80% of insurers report an increase in cancer treatment claims over the last five years for individuals under 50. Only 26% of insurers in Asia offer preventive screenings by default, compared to 43% globally.
#1 Increasing health and benefits costs is the top risk among HR and risk managers. However, Asia lags in cost management approaches to keep plans affordable. Only 26% of insurers in Asia have tiered coinsurance structure to help members maximise their coverage while managing benefits costs.
More than 40% of employees value more support for reproductive healthcare. Only less than 5% of insurers in Asia provide it by default.
Use this report to:
- Deep dive into the three key areas requiring HR actions to plan for the year ahead.
- Get insights on the trends to better strategize employer-sponsored healthcare solutions for your market.
- Adapt your health and benefits plans to optimize value for your business and employees.
Download the Health Trends 2025 report
Asia Health Trends 2025 infographic
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