Why business healthcare insurance?
Think about how your business could be effected if your top performers were unable to work if they were waiting for medical treatment or were off long term for other medical reasons. A company PMI can help you look after employees which in turn can help your business.
Company PMI plans by their nature are usually lower cost per capita than individual polices, where you could benefit by taking out a company rather than individual policies.
Quicker treatment for your workforce
There are many reasons why a company might include healthcare in its benefits package. Waiting times for treatment on the NHS are the highest they have ever been which is likely to have an effect on your business if your workforce need medical help.
According to the latest figures from NHS England (October 2022) patients waiting for treatment has increased from around 4 Million a few years ago to a record high of almost 7.21 million people, nearly 3 million of which waiting over 18 weeks for treatment.
Introducing a healthcare plan can enable your staff (and their families in some cases) to be able to access treatment quickly.
Access to drugs not available on the NHS
Most private medical insurance plans have the option to include fully comprehensive Cancer cover which includes drugs which are no longer available on the NHS.
In addition, cover may be available at internationally renown centres of excellence such as the Royal Marsden and the BUPA Cromwell, the latter offering the latest cancer treatments in state of the art facilities including being one of the few places in the UK where Tomotherapy is available (a less invasive type of Radiotherapy)
Reduce absenteeism
A healthcare plan can also potentially reduce illness and reduce absenteeism by providing support for early intervention. Stress is common in many workplaces, where an Employee Assistance Programme or EAP can offer early support, and potentially provide a treatment gateway for further mental health support if needed.
Many insurers also now include extras such as reduced gym memberships, discounted shopping portals and reward programmes which can help incentivise staff and can help with the attraction and retention of staff. Some other very useful benefits can include dental and travel cover.
Why wait for a GP appointment?
Many plans also include private GP services, where it is possible to speak to a GP online or on the telephone without leaving your home or office.
By providing accessible healthcare without waiting, your staff can be diagnosed and treated quickly with less time off work.
With many employers offering limited Statutory Sick pay (SSP), this is also important for employees to reduce the impact on their finances.
What options are there?
We work with all the leading providers of private medical insurance in the UK with full access to the plans they offer.
Many plans are modular where you can pick and choose what benefits are important to your business. For example, you could choose a budget entry level option with just cover for an inpatient stay, or fully comprehensive plans with access to all of the main teaching hospitals and centres of excellence in London.
As a business there may also be tax efficiencies in offsetting the costs against corporation tax, with larger schemes offering group size discounts and potentially, more flexible underwriting options.