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Income protection gets a health focus
8 April 2003
A new approach to income protection from Bupa could help companies minimise the costs of sickness absence as well as offering better support to employees when they fall ill. The latest statistics from the Health & Safety Executive (2001 - 2002), reveal that 40.2 million working days are lost to sickness in the UK, with 12.3 million of these related to musculoskeletal conditions of the bone, muscle or joints.
By integrating occupational health services, Bupa's new group income protection scheme aims to help people make better informed decisions about their health and wellbeing in order to make a quicker recovery and return to work earlier. Companies signing up to the scheme will be able to contact Bupa after an employee has become sick and before the end of any deferred period. Occupational health professionals will then liaise with the employee directly, discussing any treatment programme or support that may help them to achieve a full recovery as early as possible. Additional back-up will also be available through the 24-hour HealthLine which is staffed by a team of qualified nurses.
Companies interested in understanding how they can influence and identify the cost of ill health on their business will now be able to include these additional services at no extra cost. Other features of the scheme include an extension of the linked claims period to 12 months and increased maximum benefit levels.
Martin Noone, Bupa Membership's head of sales and business development, said: "Reducing the length of time someone is away from work is essential to the continuity of any business and, by adding occupational health services, companies can offer an added benefit to employees in a climate when it is increasingly difficult to find and retain good staff. Employers may also be able to cut the costs of insuring this risk, as future premiums could be reduced by falling claims."
For more information on Group Income Protection schemes, please contact 0800 332000 or visit www.bupa.com/intercom.
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