Housing charity Poplar Housing and Regeneration Community Association has removed private medical insurance (PMI) from its flexible benefits scheme and replaced it with a healthcare cash plan as a core benefit.
The organisation, which has around 250 employees, began offering PMI two years ago following consultation with employees but found that very few staff actually took up the benefit once it had been introduced. After carrying out a second consultation exercise with staff, the social housing charity removed the benefit and introduced a healthcare cash plan provided by HSA for all employees instead.
Mustapha Jobe, head of HR, said that the cash plan has proved to be a more cost-effective option. "The cost is extremely low compared to what we were paying for a few members to have private medical insurance." Under the new scheme, staff can claim back up to £75 a year for optical care, £50 a year for dental treatment and up to £187 for treatments such as physiotherapy.