Need to know:
- The use of online counselling, virtual GP services and employee assistance programmes (EAPs) has soared since the start of the pandemic.
- Health cash plan providers are offering claim period extensions and payment holidays to help employees.
- The importance of providing all-round health support, as cash plans do, has become ever-more prevalent durign the pandemic.
Health cash plans have long been popular among employees as a perk that helps with the costs of everyday health expenses.
But when the first lockdown hit the UK in March 2020, dentists and opticians were forced to close their doors to all but emergency cases.
A year on, routine appointments have opened up, but what does the future of cash plans look like? Are they still a hit with employees? And how have providers adapted?
Cash plan claims
Dental and optical services may have been more difficult to access during lockdown, but incoming claims continue, according to provider BHSF. Steve Munday, BHSF’s head of technical and underwriting, says that this proves that “employees are still very much relying on cash plan services and solutions during these challenging times”.
Munday explains that the nature of the pandemic has in many ways reinforced that reliance; lots of people have experienced physical, mental, financial problems for the first time and those who were already struggling found things even harder. “For those whose cash plan portfolio includes the benefit of a telephone helpline which provides practical help in areas related to stress, debt and addiction, together with legal and financial information relating to relationships, tax, employment and welfare benefits, the support has been, and remains, invaluable,” he adds.
Another key factor, Munday points out, has been accessibility. “The pandemic created a surge of contact-free delivery across all areas of our lives. As we also offer a GP helpline, this has proved extremely valuable to policyholders, who have been able to stay at home and still talk to a GP about a problem.”
Wellbeing importance
Supporting the health and wellbeing of employees has become increasingly important in the last year, according to Neil McCallum, head of products and partnerships at Benenden Health. The provider published a survey in December 2020 which found 46% employees felt their job had become more stressful over the past 12 months. The findings also showed that 42% of employers had lost an employee due to inadequate wellbeing support at work.
McCallum argues: “This demonstrates the benefits cash plans offer in supporting staff while working remotely.”
So how did Benenden support its policyholders? Claim periods were extended, payment holidays were offered and, where proof of the original date of a pandemic-induced rescheduled appointment could be provided, claims were paid from the correct benefit year.
“Our matron, Cheryl Lythgoe, also ran a series of Facebook Live sessions on maintaining positive physical and mental health during lockdown, to offer the public the opportunity to speak directly to a medical professional about any issues they may have encountered,” McCallum adds. “We also established an online Coronavirus hub with information for members in order to reduce the impact on GP services.”
Virtual support
Unsurprisingly, the popularity of virtual healthcare rocketed in 2020. Many providers are developing or have in place digital GP access and the ability to claim through a smartphone app.
“In December 2020, 89% of GP consultations were delivered using video technology,” Dr Catherine Rutland, clinical director at Simplyhealth, explains. “A significant change to the previous year where only 2.1% of customers chose to speak to a GP using the web-based video portal. The GP service has seen an average of more than 4,500 registrations per month in 2020.
“Our employee assistance programme (EAP) has seen a staggering increase of 903% in online counselling calls following initial lockdown when face to face sessions were not available. A vital offering as the service sees a 44% year-on-year increase in anxiety calls.”
There has been a clear trend among employers to extend the reach of health cash plans among their workforces, says Richard Gould, director of commercial, Howden Employee Benefits and Wellbeing. “I’ve spoken to a number of clients recently who are considering providing a cash plan to the whole of their workforce, as well as some clients who are now looking at extending benefits or cover to all employees rather than just their senior team,” Gould adds.
Without question, health cash plans go far beyond just dental and optical provision. “Whether it’s a counsellor at the end of the phone, discounts on virtual gym classes and equipment or a physiotherapy appointment via Zoom, people have enjoyed the convenience of a more virtual, on-demand approach to health, and we expect that to remain a feature of healthcare and health cash plans moving forward,” Tony Mucci, Westfield Health’s commercial director points out.
“Fundamentally, health cash plans are about taking a 360, proactive approach to caring for [employees] health and wellbeing, and the importance of that approach is even more relevant in the wake of the pandemic.”
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