Global Mobility of Employees: Healthcare Navigation and Gaps in Care
23 Oct 2026:
Healthcare navigation and continuity of care are important challenges for internationally mobile employees, employers and insurers. Unfamiliar systems, administrative requirements and difficulties transferring ongoing care can make access more complex—even when an employee has health insurance.
Global mobility involves managing employees’ international work arrangements, including long-term expatriate assignments, short-term projects, international relocations, business travel and cross-border hybrid working. Healthcare coverage and practical support accessing care can form an important part of these programmes.
What is healthcare system navigation?
For an employee working overseas, navigating healthcare means understanding:
Where to seek care: identifying appropriately qualified providers with the clinical capabilities needed.
How to access services: understanding local referral pathways, urgent-care options and appointment processes.
How to use insurance: understanding coverage, network arrangements and relevant administrative requirements.
How to communicate effectively: addressing language and cultural differences and ensuring medical information is understood.
What are gaps in care?
Gaps in care include interruptions, delays or unmet needs in assessment, treatment and follow-up. Navigation difficulties can contribute to these gaps, alongside cost concerns, waiting times, coverage limitations and local service constraints.
For internationally mobile employees, these may include:
Disrupted ongoing treatment: interruptions to prescriptions, monitoring or specialist follow-up, particularly for chronic conditions.
Unclear care pathways: difficulty identifying an appropriate provider or accessing the service required.
Delayed treatment: postponing care because of unfamiliar processes, waiting times or concerns about cost and coverage.
Fragmented clinical information: incomplete transfer of medical records, medication lists and treatment plans between providers, increasing the risk of errors and avoidable harm.
Why this matters for employers and insurers
In Cigna Healthcare’s 2026 Globally Mobile study, 73% of globally mobile respondents wished they had received more support before relocating. Healthcare navigation was among the identified support needs; the figure relates to relocation support overall, not healthcare assistance alone.
The practical challenge is to connect insurance coverage with accessible care: clear guidance, appropriate providers, continuity of treatment and coordinated clinical information across borders.