A new survey by Business Group on Health finds that cancer leaped frogged musculoskeletal illness, which previous ranked as the highest healthcare cost for large employers. Cardiovascular disease placed third, with all of these illnesses holding the top three spots for highest healthcare costs for employers last year as well.
The survey also finds that 13% of companies say more workers are being diagnosed with late-stage cancers and 44% expect further increases in the future, likely because of delays in care during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is expected to result in increasing cost for health coverage of cancer.
The survey, conducted from May to July, polled 135 large companies and spanned several sectors that collectively cover 18 million people in the U.S.