AXA PPP healthcare Advance
A ‘fresh look at corporate health and wellbeing’ is how AXA PPP healthcare describes its new plan for medium and larger firms. The plan starts by encouraging firms to first think about their health and wellbeing strategies and to set specific objectives and measurement systems. There are then three elements to what Advance offers:
Work Well. This element includes Health Gateway, which sets employees achievable goals, suggests manageable actions towards proven health outcomes and uses a Health Age Calculator to assess underlying health factors. Expert help through the Health at Hand service is available, as are various health discounts. The Active+ online store and the Wellbeing Hub are available, and further enhancements include the optional Doctor@Hand, Employee Assistance Programme; Proactive Health; Occupational Health, and AccessHEALTH services. In addition there is a Fast Track Appointment service, which can help ensure employees see the right specialist at the right time and place for them.
Plan Well. This element includes PMI health cover and there is a choice of referral options, hospital networks, benefit variations and enhanced cancer cover. Plan Well therefore includes the elements you would expect from a traditional PMI plan, arranged in a modular or menu style.
Fund Well. This element essentially covers how the medical insurance is funded. Choices include full insurance; full insurance with profit share; cost plus with general stop loss; mid corporate with two year profit share; health trust, and master trust options.
AXA PPP provides a skilled claims team, dedicated account management team, management information and reporting and an implementation teams to transition from any existing scheme. Health and wellbeing campaigns and marketing consultancy (e.g. for an internal communication strategy) can also be provided by AXA PPP.
Comment: Research that supported the launch of Advance showed that improved access and availability, along with proven strategies and programmes, should help improve the health of workers over the next five years.
Advance capitalises on that finding. Indeed, AXA PPP has a long track record of making the case for PMI as a management tool and seeing it as part of the solution rather than as a standalone solution in its own right.
It’s a complex proposition though – and that’s because it has to be. That is not helped though by some of the literature, which we found hard to follow and in some places inconsistent.
Go beyond that though and it makes sense and is designed to appeal to firms who want to help their employees but also need a business case to do so and want to see PMI as part of a much more comprehensive and cost-effective package.
In such situations measurement is key and so firms should start by analysing where they are and what they want to achieve. They can then use Advance to create a multi-level programme to help achieve their aims. PMI will be part of that solution, but Advance is really grown-up PMI – part of a bigger picture. The real key to success will perhaps be not just how much PMI business AXA PPP can retain or win from competitors, but also how many new virgin schemes can be attracted.
Plus points: AXA PPP has a lot of experience in this area; Focuses on delivering what the employer needs but also appeals to employees; Dedicated teams for transition and once set up; Much more than ‘just’ PMI.
Not so plus points: Only for larger firms; Complex choices; Literature is not always easy to follow.
Website: http://www.axappphealthcare.co.uk
Rating (max 10): Innovation: 9. Overall: 9. Platinum
Tags: PMI; AXA PPP healthcare