AXA PPP healthcare AccessHEALTH
AXA PPP’s AccessHEALTH is a new private medical insurance (PMI) plan for medium and larger employers. It is designed to enable them to give PMI benefits to their whole workforce and achieves that aim by focusing on pre-admission health and excluding most day and in-patient treatment.
There are two cover levels, called Core and Plus, with the latter adding additional benefits to the Core package. Both focus on early intervention and management of health conditions and related matters.
The Core plan offers the following (all benefit limits are per membership year):
Online private GP appointments through the Doctor@Hand service. This is delivered by Doctor Care Anywhere.
Mental health counselling. Phone support and up to five face-to-face counselling sessions where clinically appropriate.
Over the phone musculoskeletal guidance plus up to ten physiotherapy, chiropractic or osteopathy sessions.
24/7 phone access to AXA PPP’s dedicated team of nurses, midwives and pharmacists.
The Health Gateway proactive health portal.
The Plus plan includes all the above and adds:
Up to 12 cognitive behavioural therapy sessions (on GP referral).
Up to three specialist consultations.
Diagnostics - full refund for specialist-referred in and daypatient tests, scans and surgery to establish a diagnosis.
For both plans there is no initial qualifying period or excess and pre-existing medical conditions are covered.
Comment: AXA PPP has long experience of looking to make PMI work on financial grounds, not just providing an executive ‘perk’. Issues such as failing to get a quick GP appointment (or even having to take time off just to get a GP’s advice), needing back care or struggling to cope with stress issues, all mean a less productive workforce, with all its knock-on effects, and they add both cost and uncertainty.
Firms know that but either feel powerless to take action, or simply ignore the problem and don’t look to count the costs. Where PMI is part of the solution, it is often only provided for higher paid staff, when it can also extends to their family too.
This plan is different to conventional PMI in that it gives workers access to a range of help services and adds quick interventions to get them treated quickly, so minimising the actual time off work.
What if they then need to be admitted to hospital? Only around half of all GP referrals do, but for those, this plan offers little. Instead, they either rely on the NHS (but may be admitted quicker than had they relied on the NHS throughout) or the employer can add day and in-patient cover through another layer of PMI. In any event, early intervention should result in fewer people needing to be admitted anyway.
Let’s be clear – this plan offer a lot less than conventional full cost PMI. But that solution is expensive – probably too expensive for many employers. This plan offers an alternative approach and one that is much more in line with the growing wellness movement. It’s practical and workmanlike and should encourage employers to view PMI as an inclusive rather than exclusive product. Of the two versions of the plan, the Plus version looks a fair bit more attractive – if its extra cost is affordable.
Plus points: Alternative to full cost PMI aimed at the whole workforce rather than an elite product; Focuses on practical help where and when it is needed; Much less expensive than full PMI; Cover pre-existing conditions; No initial waiting period; Choice of two cover levels.
Not so plus points: The Plus version offers most but costs more; Not as comprehensive as full cost PMI; To get day and inpatient treatment costs covered requires additional cover not available in this policy; Only available to larger organisations.
Website: http://www.axa-ppp.co.uk.
Rating (max 10): Innovation: 8.5. Overall: 8. Gold
Tags: PMI. AXA PPP healthcare