October 01, 2024

Chronic diseases, such as cancer, obesity, musculoskeletal (MSK) and cardiovascular conditions, are long-term health issues that often require ongoing management. For multinational employers, prioritizing these conditions is crucial because they significantly impact employee well-being and productivity and are a major driver of rising health care costs. In fact, according to Business Group on Health’s 2025 Employer Health Care Strategy Survey, 17% of surveyed employers are pursuing initiatives and programs to expand their focus on chronic condition management in all or most of the countries where employees are located.

The following section provides a recap of the approaches employers are implementing to address chronic condition management needs for employee populations around the world, along with considerations for those who may be beginning their journeys.

Employers are establishing minimum standards of care outside the U.S., but high costs can be a prohibitive barrier.

A primary reason for establishing a minimum standard approach is to ensure that the benefits experience for employees operating in and across global markets is consistent and equitable. As part of such efforts, employers are broadening eligibility for family members in certain markets to include domestic partners and eliminating the waiting period following birth for adding children. Employers on the call are also looking at caregiving leave as part of their minimum standards strategy in addition to benefits that prioritize prevention. Another employer shared that the company is at the start of its journey to foster an organizational culture of “checking up.” In global markets, the costs associated with chronic condition management present a significant challenge, with one employer sharing that support for certain conditions through a customized point solution is more costly than providing comprehensive private medical insurance.

Employers are using engagement surveys to assess the needs/preferences of employees with chronic conditions around the world.

An important function of engagement surveys is that they allow multinational employers to better gauge an understanding of the different nuances, cultural contexts and diverse employee needs across different regions. One employer shared that it includes a question specifically related to benefit competitiveness in its global pulse and engagement surveys to gather information about employee needs so that the company can target and design its benefit offerings based directly on employee feedback.

Employers are eager to find a solution that can pull together chronic condition offerings from across the globe.

Several employers are seeking advice and input from peers regarding the effectiveness of global solutions. Admittedly, locating effective solutions that are deployable in and across multiple markets is a challenge and a barrier employers face in efforts to address chronic conditions across a distributed, multinational workforce.

Final Thoughts

Employers on the call shared how they are addressing chronic conditions globally by considering preventive care solutions, comprehensive well-being programs, provision of culturally relevant services and support for parents and caregivers. By investing in inclusive and comprehensive benefit offerings, multinational employers not only ensure a healthier workforce but also have an opportunity to mitigate downstream costs tied to chronic illness and treatment expenses across different regions.

Related Business Group on Health Resources

• Managing Chronic Conditions Globally: Employer Considerations and Recommendations
• Global Guide to Obesity
• Connecting Employees to Cell and Gene Therapies Outside the United States: Opportunities and Challenges

More Topics

Resource Global Consistency & Governance