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What drives multimillion-dollar medical claims? Sun Life report shows secondary health conditions, hospital stays and specialty drugs among key factors
What drives multimillion-dollar medical claims? Sun Life report shows secondary health conditions...
About this update from Sun Life Financial Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"What drives multimillion-dollar medical claims? Sun Life report shows secondary health conditions, hospital stays and specialty drugs among key factors\n\n\nWhat drives multimillion-dollar medical claims? Sun Life report shows secondary health conditions, hospital stays and specialty drugs among key factors\n\n/* Style Definitions */\nspan.prnews_span\n{\nfont-size:8pt;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\n}\na.prnews_a\n{\ncolor:blue;\n}\nli.prnews_li\n{\nfont-size:8pt;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\n}\np.prnews_p\n{\nfont-size:0.62em;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\nmargin:0in;\n}\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPR Newswire\n\n\nWELLESLEY, Mass., May 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Sun Life U.S. has released its annual High-Cost Claims and Injectable Drug Trends report, which analyzed over 70,000 high-dollar medical claims from more than 3,300 self-funded employers across the country. This year's report shows that secondary (comorbid) conditions, long inpatient hospitalizations and injectable drugs are the biggest drivers of claims above $3 million. Other contributing factors include conditions existing from birth (congenital anomalies), complicated surgeries and gene therapies.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSome of the most common conditions resulting in claims above $3 million include orthopedic/musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, newborn/infant care (premature birth) and cancer. While cancer and premature births have been top drivers of million-dollar and multimillion-dollar claims for several years, orthopedic/MSK conditions have only recently reached this level, suggesting increases in severity as well as developments in therapies and treatments. Orthopedic/MSK conditions and cancer are also two of the most frequent diagnoses for short-term disability claims.\"We have a real opportunity to help people achieve meaningful, improved health outcomes by prioritizing whole-person care,\" said Jennifer Collier, president, Health and Risk Solutions, Sun Life U.S. \"Several of these high-cost health conditions occur as comorbidities, such as orthopedic/MSK and cancer. We tend to think about diagnoses and treatments individually, but care is more effective when we recognize the interconnectedness of health conditions. By getting people the right care, we can improve both health and cost outcomes, benefitting both members and employers.\"Comorbidities have l...