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Medical insurers making it easier to access treatment

By Adam Grundy

Employee Benefits Account Executive

BHIB Insurance Brokers

PRIVATE medical insurance is an excellent employee benefit and if you’re fortunate enough to have it and been in the position where you’ve used it, it’s unlikely you’d want to be without it.

It’s a way for employers to provide their employees with speedy access to diagnostic tests and specialist consultations undertaken privately which can help to reduce the anxiety of not knowing what their symptoms mean as well as catching them early. In the majority of cases, the private medical insurance will also provide treatment for the condition that’s diagnosed at a time and place convenient to the member.

Historically, members have had to obtain a referral from their GP before calling the insurer to pre-authorise a specialist consultation, session of physiotherapy or trip to the chiropractor but access to GP services varies greatly in the UK. In October 2018, according to an NHS survey, 4.9m of the 27.1m GP appointments in England involved waiting 15 days or more. This could present a serious problem if the patient is unable to work during that time, anxious, in discomfort or all of the above.

Health insurers Aviva Health, AXA PPP healthcare, Bupa, Vitality Health and PHC all have dedicated teams which allow members to telephone if they’re experiencing any joint, muscle or tendon discomfort (musculoskeletal symptoms). A series of triage questions will be asked and a referral for physiotherapy can be obtained over the phone within 20 minutes, without having to visit a GP. With musculoskeletal conditions being amongst the top reasons for employee absence in UK businesses, this fast access is a really sensible inclusion and one that the insurers, brokers and employers need to promote.

Vitality Health, who it’s fair to say, are the disrupter in the private medical insurance market, were the first to embed a GP video chat service within the core cover of their private medical insurance and other insurers have had to follow suit as patient demand has increased. Bupa, Aviva Health and AXA PPP healthcare all now provide around-the-clock private GP services via their apps including video consultations and repeat prescription deliveries. Bupa have partnered with Babylon Health whose app includes an artificial intelligence powered virtual GP service also used by the NHS to provide digital primary care.

It’s really important that insurers and insurance brokers are educating their clients on these services because they’ve made these changes with a view to making it easier for members to claim. Availability can vary slightly depending on whether you’re an SME or large corporate client, so for more information you should contact your broker or the insurer directly, if appropriate, to ask them how your employees access these services and what tools are available to promote them.

To learn more about how BHIB Employee Benefits team can help you, contact Adam Grundy at or call 01604 630003.

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