Corporate health fund launched

YourHealth+ has launched a new fund-based private medical insurance (PMI) scheme designed to cut costs and offer more flexibility.

The Corporate Health Fund consists of a savings fund backed up by traditional insurance provision.

According to YourHealth+, companies pay for medical treatment from the central fund up to a limited annual amount, or per employee, after which insurance cover takes over.

If there are no claims the balance of the fund rolls over to the next financial year.

YourHealth+ chief executive Jo Clark said: "When we began research for this concept in 1996 we had three main objectives: to deliver more healthcare choices to more people, to expand the PMI market, which has been moribund these past 15 years, and to revolutionise PMI by giving it a more patient-centred philosophy."

The product will offer brokers a 40% commission of the management fee charged to companies.

Typically this will equate to about 6% of the full premium.

Corporate Health Fund will launch a similar product for the private sector early next year.

GOVT LOBBIED OVER SICKNESS ABSENCE DAYS

FirstAssist has lobbied the government to make companies publish details of sickness absence days.

In a meeting with government representatives, FirstAssist chief executive Tim Ablett called on the government to force companies into being more transparent about their employee wellbeing programmes.

Ablett said: "This is part of being a good corporation, and so customers and future employees can see what a company's approach is to employee risk.

"This has the knock-on effect of allowing people to be able to identify those companies that have taken responsibility for the health and well-being of their employees."

By making sickness absence a matter of public record Ablett also hopes the government will force it on to the boardroom agenda, making companies look more seriously at sickness absence management programmes.