Managing Chronic Illness Abroad: Why Global Employers Must Rethink Support for Their Mobile Workforce

Discover how employers can better support globally mobile employees living with chronic illness. Learn strategies for ensuring continuity of care, improving health outcomes, and protecting organisational performance during international assignments.

The hidden health challenges of global mobility

Global mobility is a cornerstone of modern business, but it comes with hidden health challenges. Employees travelling overseas have to overcome barriers like navigating a new health system and finding reputable providers in unfamiliar territory. Close to 75% of employees who are globally mobile wish they had better assistance with relocation, and this includes overcoming barriers such as finding healthcare.¹ This struggle is compounded for those who are carrying a chronic condition with them on their overseas journey. 

Our 2024 research²  shows a connection between vitality and the prevalence of chronic conditions. Individuals with low vitality are not only frequently diagnosed with chronic conditions, but they also tend to have multiple conditions. In our 2025 study, the data tells a similar story, with 57% of global participants indicating they are managing some sort of physical or behavioural condition.  

For employers, lapses in care can have a detrimental impact on business. Managing chronic conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal pain, or mental illness becomes exponentially more difficult when employees relocate or travel internationally. Without proactive support, these challenges can result in higher costs, reduced productivity, and even assignment failure. Employers must prioritise continuity of care and holistic support to safeguard both employee well-being and organisational performance. 

The global reality of chronic conditions 

Chronic conditions are not confined to one region. The estimated cost of chronic disease is expected to reach $47 trillion worldwide by 2030³. Musculoskeletal (MSK) issues alone affect 1.7 billion⁴ people worldwide, with prevalence spikes in markets like the UK, Belgium, and Spain. Chronic mental health conditions impact 1 billion people globally.⁵ These conditions don’t just impact physical health; they correlate strongly with lower vitality scores, which in turn drive absenteeism and disengagement. For employers, this means chronic illness is directly linked to workforce productivity and morale.  

Barriers compound the problem. Employees abroad face fragmented health systems, language barriers, and cultural differences in care access. Cost-of-living pressures and unfamiliar provider networks often lead to delayed treatment, creating a perfect storm for complications and higher costs. 

Why overseas assignments amplify risk 

Relocating employees introduces complexity that domestic programmes rarely address. Overseas workers must navigate unfamiliar health systems, manage medication continuity, and overcome language and cultural hurdles. These challenges increase the likelihood of missed appointments, treatment gaps, and unmanaged symptoms. 

From a business perspective, the stakes are high. Delayed care can lead to acute episodes, hospitalisation, and spiraling costs. Worse, it can derail assignments entirely, impacting project timelines and talent retention. Employers who fail to address these risks may find their global mobility strategy undermined by preventable health issues. 

What employers can do: A framework for action 

Managing chronic illness abroad requires a proactive, structured approach. Here’s a recommended framework when partnering with healthcare companies to ensure your employees are supported:

1. Ensure continuity of care 
Implement transition-of-care programmes and case management for employees moving across borders. These services help prevent complications and keep care plans on track. 

2. Provide personalised coaching 
Chronic conditions demand ongoing support. Nurse case managers can guide employees through lifestyle changes, medication adherence, and local care navigation— critical for conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular disease. 

3. Provide access to digital capabilities  
Virtual consultations and remote monitoring bridge geographic gaps. Digital platforms allow employees to connect with clinicians, share data from wearable devices, and receive timely interventions no matter where they are. 

4. Build a culture of health literacy and local navigation 
Global assignments are at risk of failing when employees don’t know how to access care in unfamiliar systems. If employees don’t have the knowledge to navigate these systems, it can impact productivity. Employers can mitigate this by providing resources that improve health literacy and local navigation. This includes multilingual guides on managing chronic conditions, country-specific provider directories, and education on medication continuity. Pair these with proactive outreach, such as onboarding sessions for relocating employees, to ensure they understand how to use their benefits and where to seek care. Empowering employees with knowledge reduces delays, improves adherence, and strengthens confidence in your global health strategy. 

5. Ensure comprehensive medication and prescription access 
Importantly, employers must ensure that their international health plans provide comprehensive access to prescription medication, so employees can continue to obtain necessary prescriptions seamlessly while working abroad. 

The business case 

Investing in chronic condition management abroad isn’t just good for employees, it’s good for business. Reduced complications and hospitalisations lower total cost of care. Healthier employees mean higher productivity, stronger engagement, and better assignment success rates. In a competitive talent market, demonstrating a commitment to global well-being can also enhance employer brand and retention. 

Conclusion  

Chronic illness doesn’t pause for international assignments, and neither should your support strategy. Employers who prioritise continuity of care, personalised coaching, and digital access will not only safeguard employee health but also protect organisational performance.  

To learn more, explore Cigna Healthcare’s global well-being research and insights. 

Sources:

1. Cigna Healthcare International Health – Global Well-being and Vitality Study Cigna Healthcare International Health Study 2025 (2025) 
2. Cigna Healthcare International Health – Vitality and Chronic Condition Insights. Cigna Healthcare – International Health Study 2024 (2024) 
3. National Library of Medicine - The Burden of Chronic Disease - PMC (2024)  
4. World Health Organization (WHO) - Musculoskeletal health factsheet (2022) 
5. World Health Organization (WHO) - Over a billion people living with mental health conditions – services require urgent scale-up (2025)