Younger Employees Are Driving Healthcare Costs and Why U.S. Employers Need International Nurses More Than Ever

In recent years, a surprising shift has emerged in employer-sponsored healthcare: younger employees are no longer the “low-cost, low-risk” group many organizations assumed they were. Instead, Generation Z and younger working-age adults are increasingly driving higher healthcare spending including catastrophic claims that were once associated mostly with older populations.

For U.S. healthcare employers already facing staffing shortages, this trend has serious implications. It increases the need for strong preventive care, chronic disease management, and accessible primary care all areas where skilled international nurses can make a measurable impact.

At NurseContact, a digital marketplace that connects international nurses with U.S. employers and streamlines the hiring process, we’re closely watching these trends. Understanding how younger workers are changing the healthcare risk profile can help hospitals, clinics, and health systems plan smarter staffing strategies and leverage global nursing talent more effectively.

Younger Employees: No Longer the “Low-Risk” Group

A recent whitepaper from UnitedHealthcare and Health Action Council analyzed data from more than 225,000 members with UnitedHealthcare plans. The findings challenge long-held assumptions about age and healthcare costs in the workplace.

Key insights include:

• Healthcare spending for Generation Z increased 18% year over year almost double the growth rate seen among baby boomers.
• While *baby boomers still account for the highest total spend, *Gen Z’s catastrophic claims surged by 41%.
• Over a five-year period, average per-member, per-month catastrophic care spending rose 39% across the board.

Historically, employers and payers treated younger employees as largely “invincible” low users of care with minimal chronic disease. That assumption is now outdated. Younger adults are developing chronic conditions earlier, and they often enter the healthcare system later, when problems are more complex and more expensive to treat.

Chronic Conditions Are Emerging Earlier

One of the most important findings is that chronic conditions and health risks are appearing at younger ages. This includes metabolic diseases such as diabetes, obesity-related conditions, and cardiovascular risk factors.

For employers, this means:

• Higher long-term healthcare costs if conditions are not managed early
• Greater need for preventive care and early intervention
• A stronger emphasis on consistent primary care relationships

International nurses are uniquely positioned to help here. Many come from systems where community health, prevention, and patient education are core responsibilities. At the bedside and in ambulatory settings, these nurses can reinforce lifestyle counseling, medication adherence, and follow-up care for younger patients who might otherwise delay seeking help.

Men, Primary Care, and Catastrophic Claims

The data also highlight a consistent gender gap in primary care engagement:

• Across most age groups, men are less likely to engage with primary care providers.
• In their late twenties, men’s primary care engagement is about 32% lower than women’s.
• Men who are not engaged with primary care tend to have higher catastrophic case costs than non-engaged women.
• Men with metabolic disease are more than seven times as likely to experience a catastrophic health event.

In plain terms: many male employees ignore routine care until something serious happens at which point the medical event is more complex, more resource-intensive, and significantly more costly.

This is exactly where skilled nursing teams matter. Nurses are often the first professionals to:

• Recognize risk patterns
• Encourage patients especially men to access primary care
• Provide education about the consequences of uncontrolled conditions
• Coordinate follow-up and screenings

By strengthening the nursing workforce, U.S. employers can better reach these under-engaged populations and reduce catastrophic events linked to delayed care.

The Power of Long-Term Primary Care Engagement

One of the most encouraging findings in the report is that primary care engagement works.

Members who consistently engage with a primary care provider for at least three years have:

• 27% lower average catastrophic case costs compared to those with lower engagement

This reinforces a message nurse leaders already know well: continuity of care saves lives and reduces costs. When patients have a reliable point of contact in the health system, they are more likely to receive:

• Regular screenings
• Early diagnosis
• Timely interventions
• Guidance on managing chronic conditions

Nurses play a central role in building that continuity whether in primary care clinics, employer health centers, telehealth, or care management programs.

Seven Strategies for Employers and Where Nurses Fit In

The UnitedHealthcare and Health Action Council whitepaper outlines seven strategies for employers to manage rising risk among younger employees. Each one has a clear connection to nursing practice.

1. Prioritize Primary Care Provider Selection and Engagement
   Employers are encouraged to help members find and maintain relationships with primary care providers. Nurses support this by coordinating referrals, navigating benefits, and reinforcing the importance of PCP follow-up during every encounter.
2. Focus on Preventive Care
   Vaccinations, screenings, and early counseling are all domains where nurses lead. Preventive care is often delivered and reinforced by nursing staff at every point of contact in clinics, hospital discharges, and community outreach.
3. Leverage Virtual Care as an Entry Point to Primary Care
   Telehealth and virtual visits are becoming a first step into the healthcare system for younger populations. Nurses who are experienced in telehealth triage and virtual care can guide patients into appropriate in-person follow-up and primary care relationships.
4. Emphasize Metabolic and Chronic Condition Management
   Chronic disease management is a cornerstone of nursing practice. International nurses, many with experience in high-volume, resource-limited settings, are often experts in educating patients about diet, physical activity, medication adherence, and self-monitoring.
5. Develop a Strategy for Men Over 40
   Since men are less likely to engage with care early, targeted outreach is essential. Nurses can help develop and execute programs aimed at men in the workforce from onsite screenings to health coaching and tailored education.
6. Hone Communications Across Generations
   Gen Z, millennials, Gen X, and baby boomers all respond differently to health messaging. Nurses, who interact with patients across generations daily, can offer practical insights into language, tone, and education strategies that resonate with each group.
7. Segment Populations and Identify Upcoming Risk
   While data and analytics identify high-risk members, nurses turn that insight into action. Care managers, population health nurses, and case managers reach out, build relationships, and help at-risk individuals engage with services that data alone cannot deliver.

Data Isn’t the Problem Engagement Is

Analytics teams can now accurately identify high-risk employees and members with complex care needs. But as the report notes, finding those individuals is only half the battle. The real challenge is:

• Getting them to respond
• Encouraging them to enroll in programs
• Maintaining engagement over time

This is the human side of healthcare where nurses are absolutely essential. Empathy, clear communication, cultural sensitivity, and trust-building are foundational nursing skills and they are exactly what’s needed to turn data insights into better outcomes.

In a workforce where younger employees are developing chronic conditions earlier and delaying care longer, nurses become the bridge between analytics and action.

Why International Nurses Are Critical to U.S. Employers Right Now

As U.S. employers grapple with rising healthcare costs, complex risk patterns in younger employees, and ongoing staffing shortages, international nurses offer a powerful solution:

• They expand the workforce capacity for preventive care and chronic disease management.
• They bring diverse perspectives and cultural competence that support effective communication across varied employee populations.
• They strengthen primary care, telehealth, and population health programs that are essential to controlling catastrophic costs.

However, recruiting and onboarding international nurses can be administratively complex from immigration processes to credential verification and compliance.

That’s where NurseContact comes in.

How NurseContact Helps U.S. Employers Build Stronger Nursing Teams

NurseContact is a digital marketplace that connects international nurses with U.S. healthcare employers and offers a streamlined, transparent hiring process. Our platform is designed to make it easier for hospitals, clinics, and health systems to:

• Access a vetted pool of qualified international nurses
• Accelerate hiring timelines
• Simplify communication between candidates and employers
• Navigate regulatory and onboarding steps more efficiently

For organizations responding to rising healthcare costs driven by younger employees, building a robust nursing workforce is a strategic investment not just in staffing, but in prevention, engagement, and long-term cost control.

International nurses recruited through NurseContact can help U.S. employers:

• Strengthen primary care teams
• Enhance virtual care and telehealth services
• Expand chronic disease and metabolic management programs
• Improve outreach to younger and under-engaged employee populations

Looking Ahead: Matching Global Nursing Talent to Emerging U.S. Needs

The shift in healthcare risk toward younger employees is not a temporary anomaly it’s an emerging reality that forward-thinking employers must plan for. Catastrophic claims, earlier-onset chronic disease, and uneven engagement with primary care will continue to challenge traditional models of employer-sponsored healthcare.

Nurses are at the center of the solution.

By leveraging global nursing talent through platforms like NurseContact, U.S. employers can:

• Improve preventive care access
• Reduce catastrophic events
• Support healthier, more productive workforces
• Control long-term healthcare costs in a sustainable way

If your organization is ready to address rising healthcare risk among younger employees and strengthen your nursing workforce, NurseContact can help you connect with international nurses who are prepared to make an immediate impact on patient care and population health.