Report: 2018 Global Medical Trends Pulse Survey Report

The cost of medical care is continuing to rise across the globe. This Willis Towers Watson survey reflects the responses from 201 medical insurers operating in 60 countries.

Key findings:

• Average global medical inflation is expected to be 7.2 per cent in 2018, up from 6.8 per cent in 2017.
• In the UK, projected cost increases have been attributed to several factors: an ageing insured population and workforce; challenges accessing state-sponsored health care; wider availability of complex medical treatments; medical advances; and, the increasing use of high-cost treatments.
• More than half of health insurers globally expect the upward trend to be greater or significantly greater over the next three years.