Part Two – How Global Payers Can Take Control in a Volatile Market 

When global uncertainty becomes the norm, agility becomes essential. 

In part one of our blog series, we highlighted how global instability is making international healthcare harder to predict and manage. Now, the question becomes: what can payers do about it? 

International payers can’t afford to operate with yesterday’s playbook. Unpredictable member movement, rising medical costs, and fragmented U.S. healthcare infrastructure are creating new risks and exposing old vulnerabilities. International tourism spending in the U.S. is expected to fall by $18 billion in 2025¹, in part due to global instability and the return of U.S. protectionist policies². These disruptions aren’t just reducing volume — they’re compounding unpredictability for international payers. 

Payers need to be faster, smarter, and better equipped to manage claims in the U.S. or risk letting volatility dictate their outcomes. 

Global Uncertainty Is Putting New Strain on Payer Operations 

International mobility is no longer predictable. Travel plans shift, care needs arise unexpectedly, and covered individuals land in the U.S. outside of planned coverage windows. This isn’t just inconvenient — it’s operationally disruptive. 

The result? 

• Unplanned claims tied to emergent or delayed care
• Fragmented member journeys that challenge care continuity
• Increased administrative burden due to non-standard provider interactions 

Without a clear response strategy, even routine claims can snowball into major liabilities. 

The U.S. Healthcare System Is a Costly Puzzle 

For payers abroad, managing claims in the U.S. is like trying to solve a constantly changing puzzle — expensive, opaque, and full of friction. And today’s geopolitical environment is only increasing the complexity.  

Key challenges include: 

• Disjointed provider networks with little alignment on pricing or process
• No standardized billing practices, which complicates comparison and auditing
• Limited incentives for providers to collaborate with international payers 

Today’s Playbook Won’t Cut It 

Traditional cost containment strategies were built for a more stable environment. But the broader geopolitical climate is making it even harder for global payers to secure cooperation, price transparency, or predictable outcomes from the U.S. system. As Oxford Economics notes, a new era of protectionism has emerged³, and with it, more barriers to cross-border service coordination. 

Each of the following strategies is now necessary:  

• Negotiation leverage with U.S. providers to drive meaningful savings, not inflated charges
• Rapid escalation pathways that resolve disputes before they harm member experience or the bottom line
• Proactive case management that drives better outcomes while containing costs
• Transparency at every step, so finance teams can track exposure, report accurately, and audit with confidence 

The gap between global payer expectations and U.S. provider realities can’t be bridged by optimism alone. To strengthen performance amid growing volatility, international payers must make deliberate tactical shifts, including investing in claims intelligence, refining U.S. provider alignment strategies, and evolving from a purely cost-driven approach to one focused on strategic value creation across the claims lifecycle. 

Plotkin Health: Turning Complexity into Clarity 

As a Canadian-based partner with deep expertise in the U.S. healthcare system, we help international payers bring stability and control to an environment that often delivers neither. We support payers through: 

• Direct provider relationships across the U.S., ensuring claims are priced fairly and resolved efficiently 
• Integrated case management and cost containment, reducing waste, exposure, and friction without sacrificing member experience 
• Localized negotiation and escalation, giving payers a voice and presence in markets where they often feel invisible 
• Hands-on claims support, turning complex billing challenges into streamlined resolutions for covered individuals and payers 

We don’t wait for claims to become problems. We manage them proactively, keeping covered individuals protected and payers empowered. 

Stronger Claims Management. Stronger Outcomes. 

Global volatility won’t slow down. In fact, with ongoing trade wars, sanctions, and international tourism projected to decline by 5%⁴, the environment for global payers is likely to get more unpredictable before it gets easier. 

But payers can still get ahead with the right partner. 

Plotkin Health helps ensure that even when the external world is unpredictable, the internal mechanics of your claims process are anything but. Our approach delivers measurable results: 

• Fewer escalations
• Faster resolutions
• Better outcomes for covered individuals
• Lower total cost of claims 

And in an industry where trust is everything, we help protect more than just the bottom line. 

We offer more than U.S. healthcare expertise — we offer the tools and relationships to help international payers thrive in a complex system. From rapid triage to long-term strategy, we’re built to support your operations and strengthen your reputation in a high-stakes landscape. 

Let’s talk about how we can help you stay agile, effective, and in control. Contact us today to experience fairness firsthand with our personalized approach, streamlined settlements, and seamless outcomes.  

In the final installment of this blog series, we’ll explore how to go beyond reactive strategies and future-proof your operations in a world defined by instability. 

Sources:

1. https://fortune.com/2025/03/17/foreign-tourism-us-forecast-trump-tariffs-trade-war-russia-ukraine-war/ ↩︎
2. https://www.oxfordeconomics.com/resource/tariffs-and-their-global-impact-a-note-from-the-desk-of-our-chief-economist/ ↩︎
3. https://www.oxfordeconomics.com/resource/tariffs-and-their-global-impact-a-note-from-the-desk-of-our-chief-economist/ ↩︎
4. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-tariffs-trade-war-us-tourism/ ↩︎