Simplyhealth Everyday Health Plan for flexible benefits
On 1 April, health cash plan market leader Simplyhealth is launching a flex version of its Everyday Health Plan. The health cash plan is available to employers to offer as part of a flexible benefits (flex) package and is available in three levels. For the top (Level 3) plan, the main benefits are:
Healthy mind. Includes up to six face-to-face counselling sessions and a 24/7 helpline service.
Healthy body. This gives discounted gym membership plus pays up to £390 a year for physiotherapy; osteopathy; chiropractic; acupuncture, and homeopathy, plus up to £150 a year for chiropody, podiatry and reflexology.
Healthy checks. This includes a phone based private GP service plus up to £400 a year for consultations, tests and scans, £300 a year for a health assessment, and pays for up to three NHS prescription charges.
Healthy eyes and teeth. This pays up to £180 a year for sight tests, glasses and contact lenses, up to £180 a year for everyday dental treatment, and up to £390 a year for dental treatment as a result of an accident.
Healthy extras. This pays £40 a night for hospital stays (up to 20 days/nights a year), and £300 on having or adopting a baby.
Financial benefits are lower for the other two levels. If paid for by the employer the plan costs £6.75, £13.50 or £20.25 a month for the three levels. If paid by the employee through salary sacrifice, the monthly cost is £8.85, £17.70 or £26.55 respectively. Premiums are doubled for employees if their partner is also covered. Up to four children can be covered at no extra cost.
Comment: Simplyhealth has almost reinvented itself since selling off its PMI book to AXA and this new plan reflects its new ethos. For example, its benefits schedule groups benefits by the area they aim to help with e.g. a healthy body or healthy eyes and teeth. Minor points perhaps, but it’s all part of listening more to customers and trying to engage better with them generally.
The plan itself includes all the main benefit types, with a degree of cover depending on which level is chosen. Modern HCPs are good at including not just ‘hard’ benefits (e.g. paying for or towards your dental bills), but also the soft benefits such as being able to talk to a private GP (a lot easier than trying to talk to your NHS GP in many cases). The plan even includes delivery of your non-NHS prescriptions – which can be a great time saver. One oddity though – and this does not just apply to Simplyhealth – the plan pays for individual NHS prescriptions but not prepayment certificates (PPCs) nor towards any private prescriptions. Given that you have to pay the full cost of any private GP prescriptions, that seems a bit stingy.
Overall though, this plan offers attractive benefits towards everyday healthcare costs and also valuable help and advice.
Plus points: Good HCP benefits from the market leader; Includes valuable non-financial benefits such as private GP services; For employers offering flex benefits; Choice of benefit levels; Simple to buy and to administer; Covers up to 100% of the costs.
Not so plus points: This particular plan is just for flex benefits; Prescription benefit only covers individual NHS prescription charges; More benefit levels might suit some employers, but that would risk over-complication; Relatively low financial benefits overall.
Website: http://www.simplyhealth.co.uk.
Rating (max 10): Innovation: 8. Overall: 8. Gold
Tags: HCP: Simplyhealth