2. Chronic/End state renal disease (kidneys)

3. Leukemia/lymphoma or multiple myeloma (cancer)

4. Congenital anomalies (conditions present at birth)

5. Disorders relating to short gestation and low birth weight (premature births)

6. Cerebrovascular disease (brain blood vessels)

7. Complications of surgical and medical care

8. Congestive heart failure

9. Pulmonary collapse/respiratory failure (lungs)

10. Dorsopathies (spine conditions)

"We conducted this research to bring greater focus to the significance of catastrophic claims for self-insured employers," says Scott Beliveau, stop-loss vice president of Sun Life Financial. "We are committed to continuing the dialogue about how carriers, self-insured employers, brokers and TPAs can work together to manage the high cost of catastrophic claims."

Sun Life Financial reveals that the top three costly conditions made up 33 percent of all stop-loss claims payments. For all stop-loss claims payments, the total comes to $1.7 billion.

 "When self-insured employers, brokers, and third-party administrators ask me what can be done to more actively manage costs, I advise a real focus on cost containment — both before and after there's a stop-loss claim," says Sun Life Financial Stop-Loss Claims Director Laura Rollinson, R.N., who led the claims study. "By applying the before-and-after approach, the stop-loss carrier's medical case managers can suggest approaches and provide access to services that can result in improved patient outcomes and cost-savings for the employer."