Cancer continues to be the most costly medical condition, according to a recent report from stop-loss carrier Sun Life.
In 2020, cancer cases that resulted in stop-loss claims increased by 16%, and cancer drugs made up nine of the top ten high-cost drug claims.
The report also found that mental health cases saw a significant increase, with claims rising by 21% from 2019. Alcohol or opioid abuse and depression were the most common conditions.
While COVID-19 inevitably affected health care spending, the virus resulted in few high-cost claims. “The relatively small number of COVID-19 cases that were severe enough to result in a stop-loss claim averaged approximately $340,000 per patient, with infection and respiratory failure as the most common comorbidities contributing to high costs,” the report said.