Background on Digestive Health

April is gut health (aka Digestive Health, aka GI) awareness month. Worldwide, more than 40% of people have functional gastrointestinal (GI) conditions.¹ GI conditions include digestive issues, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticular disease, colitis, colon cancer, celiac disease, gastritis, acid reflux, lactose intolerance and many others.² Aside from family history or predisposition to one of these conditions, GI issues can be caused by poor dietary patterns, lack of exercise, stress and hormonal changes.2 In 2021, the total US expenditure for digestive health diseases was $111.8 billion, and continues to rise rapidly. ³

Why Employers Should Be Concerned About Digestive Health

Employers are now ranking digestive issues in the top eight⁴ chronic conditions driving medical and pharmacy spend. Millions of people seek care for digestive issues, resulting in emergency room visits, ambulatory care and hospitalization.

Digestive issues result in high costs and productivity loss. Patients often experience delayed diagnosis, leaving them to deal with symptoms for longer periods of time, such as abdominal pain, gas, bloating, nausea and diarrhea. According to the Business Group on Health⁵, GI issues can lead to individuals missing as many as 17 workdays each year and are the second most common cause of short-term disability claims in the US.

What Employers Can Do to Improve Workforce Digestive Health

Employers have an opportunity to impact the cost and prevalence of GI conditions within their population. By providing foundational support, assessing their population’s needs and implementing targeted strategies, employers can help prevent the spread of GI conditions and help those with GI issues better manage their condition.

Employers trying to address the increasingly common problem of digestive health and related GI conditions should consider the following three steps:

1. Foundational Support

The key to ensuring employees stay or become healthy is making it easy for them to make healthy choices. When it comes to digestive health, key foundational support elements include education on nutrition, access to nutritious food choices and dietitian support.

Employers can revisit Brown & Brown’s E.A.T. framework to build foundational support for employees by:

• Removing any barriers employees might be facing to engaging in healthy behaviors
• Educating employees on how to make healthy choices
• Creating a work environment that is conducive to healthy choices

2. Utilize Data

Digestive health encompasses a broad range of conditions and diseases. Understanding your specific population’s digestive health trends is essential to understand the true cost impact. Only then can an employer build a strategy to address the most prevalent conditions.

Employers can work with their consultants to understand the extent of GI-related problems within their population by:

• Reviewing medical claims history
• Reviewing pharmacy claims history
• Considering a polypharmacy* review (as there can be an array of issues stemming from the use of multiple medications in treating GI conditions)

3. Provide Targeted Support

A broad range of conditions and diseases comes with a wide range of testing and treatment plans. It is important for employers to work with their consultants to analyze population data that helps shape a targeted support strategy.

Employers should consider these key areas when building out a targeted support strategy:

• Current state assessment – evaluate the current ecosystem (plan design, point solutions, covered tests, etc.)
• Identify gaps in care
• Work with consultants to close any gaps in coverage/support

Supporting digestive health in the workplace may seem daunting, given the wide range of conditions it includes. However, if employers can focus on this framework, it’s more than just a gut feeling that they can successfully tackle the growing digestive health problem.

*polypharmacy refers to the use of multiple medications by the same patient

1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32294476/
2. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/7040-gastrointestinal-diseases
3.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39920892/#:~:text=Results%3A%20In%202021%2C%20GI%20health,and%202.9%20million%20hospital%20admissions.
4. Brown & Brown Employer Health and Benefits Strategy Survey, 2025
5. https://www.businessgrouphealth.org/en/topics/blog/rethinking-digestive-health-strategy

Emma Collins

Population Health & Well-Being Consultant