Norwich Union Healthcare today launches Solutions – a new group private medical insurance product for companies with 50 or more employees.
Norwich Union Healthcare today launches Solutions – a new group private medical insurance product for companies with 50 or more employees.
Solutions is a comprehensive, flexible and cost-effective way to buy group PMI, offering an extensive core package of benefits plus further optional modules which can be selected to meet customers’ needs.
Its innovative structure combines the pricing stability associated with small group schemes and the benefit flexibility of large groups.
The modular structure of Solutions allows businesses to select additional cover or cost-containment options, and they also have the flexibility to choose up to three different levels of cover for different groups of employees.
As well as comprehensive cover for outpatient, day patient and inpatient diagnosis and treatment, the Core Cover benefits of Solutions include:
- Home nursing (following eligible inpatient or day patient treatment)
- Psychiatric outpatient treatment up to Ł1000
- GP Helpline – unlimited GP telephone consultations, available 24-hours-a-day
- Maternity cash benefit
- Stress counselling helpline
- To the Core Cover package can be added one or more of four Additional Cover Options, providing a range of benefit enhancements. These are:
- Psychiatric cover (28 or 45 days) for inpatient and day patient treatment
- GP-referred services – including GP-referred radiology/pathology; GP-referred chiropody, podiatry and homeopathy; complementary/alternative treatments including osteopathy and acupuncture; specialist consultation for non- acute conditions
- Extended hospital list
- Optical and dental option – helps towards the cost of optical and routine dental expenses
On the other hand, for companies wishing to reduce costs by restricting cover, there are four cost containment options:
- Six week option – private inpatient or day patient treatment if NHS waiting list is longer than six weeks
- Member excess – excess of either Ł100 or Ł200 (payable once per person per policy year)
- Selected benefit reduction – removes cover for less essential extras
- Reduced outpatient cover
Premiums for Solutions will be partly community-related and partly experience-related. The mix between the two will depend on the size of the group and its claims experience.
Carolyn Derrington, head of business development for Norwich Union Healthcare, said: “We’ve designed Solutions to meet the changing needs of the corporate market.
“Instead of a product which charges companies for cover they don’t want and will probably never need, intermediaries will now be able to recommend a variety of options from which they can pick and choose to meet their needs and their budget.
“And we’ve developed an innovative and fairer way of pricing Solutions which offers companies the best of both worlds.”
There will be a dedicated Solutions team for claims handling and bill payment, to ensure the best possible service for intermediaries and their clients.
Companies with more than 100 employees can still benefit from Norwich Union Healthcare’s Optimum Scheme, specially designed to meet the needs of larger businesses.
Commission for Solutions is 10% initial; 5% renewal. Agency terms and application forms are available on request.
- Full details of standard cover and exclusions are given in the Policy Wording, a specimen copy of which is available on request.
- For more information on Solutions, intermediaries can call: 0845 300 1530 (intermediary sales north) or 02380 372277 (intermediary sales south)
Press contact:
Louise Zucchi at Norwich Union on 08703 66 68 60 or 07860 203466
Notes to editors
- Norwich Union Healthcare was founded in 1990 as the healthcare arm of Norwich Union and now provides a range of income protection and private medical insurance products to around 675,000 customers. It is one of the largest providers of income protection and private medical insurance in the UK.
- Norwich Union is the UK's largest insurer offering a comprehensive range of long-term savings and general insurance products.
- Member of the General Insurance Standards Council
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