2025 MSK and MSD Trends 3: Healthcare Rationing 

Here’s the problem: while you’re striving for productivity, your people are trapped in a broken system beyond repair. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are a silent epidemic, a disruptor affecting every workplace. The supposed “solutions” you’re offered? They’re just rationing. 

Two generations ago, rationing healthcare was effectively unthinkable, but today it is the status quo. Rationing exists in every sector of healthcare- from limiting access to specialized pharmaceuticals to denying care based on predicted outcomes.  

Consider this: gatekeepers, prior authorizations, denials, and restricted treatment codes—all crafted to delay, deny, and deter. Insurance companies play defense, but your employees suffer the consequences: reinjury, impairment, inadequate healing, persistent pain and even disability. Meanwhile, you’re left with escalating costs and dwindling talent. 

It’s a system that claims to save yet wastes tens of billions annually. Unnecessary tests, endless consults, and addictive medications—none of it gets to the heart of the matter. Insurers’ clerks, coders, and algorithms don’t see your people, your business, or what it takes to heal. They’re just doing their jobs: rationing care like it’s a fixed game where you can’t win. 

Musculoskeletal (MSK) care is not exempt from rationing. Physical therapy (PT) is the gold standard for treating musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Despite this, there is financial rationing that creates barriers to receiving optimal care.  

 

Rationing Is Not a Strategy 

MSKs are the #1 cost in healthcare, and rationing by insurers creates a larger problem. While insurers “save,” real people pay the price—economically, emotionally, and physically. This is why it’s vital to prioritize MSK care to safeguard your business’s talent and profits.  

You don’t have to accept this. You’re not powerless. Self-funded companies understand this. They recognize that true leadership means taking control of their workforce’s safety, health, and wellbeing—not leaving it to an insurer more interested in their profits than your solutions. 

 

Be the Solution  

Here’s the truth: there’s already a proven solution that’s better and more rewarding. We’d love to share it with you. Unless, of course, you’re comfortable with the status quo.

How’s that been working for you? 

It’s time for a shift. Rationing isn’t the answer; rationalizing is. Solveglobal offers a way to tackle the root causes of MSDs, cut through the noise, and deliver the results your people deserve. It’s about making bold, better decisions—ones that save both financial and human capital. 

This isn’t just about healthcare; it’s about talent retention, competitive advantage, and doing what’s right. Every day you hesitate; you choose to be part of the problem or part of the solution. 

Step one: take responsibility. Step two: seize control.  

Your people deserve better. Your business deserves better. Let’s build a system that works—for everyone, beginning day one. 

Learn how Solveglobal can help you take that second step at Solveglobal.com