Rapid diagnosis & treatment for your dedicated teams.
- Review or launch a Group Health Insurance policy
- Build a scheme tailored to your business
- Free policy comparisons and personalised advice
Rapid diagnosis & treatment for your dedicated teams.
Engage Health Group has worked with hundreds of businesses that have sought to launch or review a health insurance scheme for their employees.
The scope of our service varies greatly according to the needs of your business. Our service includes:
Health insurance is a complex industry, scattered with convoluted terms and conditions that can dramatically affect the true value of any policy. Our award-winning team ensure that you derive maximum value from any policy you have in place.
“We received great customer service and a competitive quotation when searching for a health scheme for our business. It was then a simple process to activate the scheme for our Group when we were ready to proceed.”
For one-to-one assistance, call us on 01273 974419 or email [email protected]. Alternatively, you can get quotes here.
Group Health Insurance is a type of private health insurance plan which is purchased by businesses for their employees. One policy can cover multiple staff members and ensure they get fast access to a wide range of medical services and treatments.
Plans typically offer a choice of consultant, hospital and date of treatment, giving employees full control and ensuring they can return to work as soon as possible.
For many of our clients, one of the key benefits of private healthcare is that it negates NHS waiting lists and is free of the inevitable restrictions that a publicly funded healthcare system encounters.
Group Health Insurance is also sometimes referred to as: Business Health Insurance, Company Health Insurance or Corporate Health Insurance.
The scope and value of Group Health plans vary wildly, depending on the size of the business and its available budget.
At Engage Health Group, we’ve helped businesses of all sizes find their ideal policy by working across the insurance marketplace to deliver the best deals.
Companies can largely pick and choose which features they feel will be of the highest importance and of greatest value. So – to an extent – your Group Health Insurance can cover whatever you wish, as long as it remains within budget.
But there are some constraints. First you need to be aware of two main medical categories: ‘Acute’ and ‘Chronic’ medical conditions.
A medical condition that responds well to active treatment and where the patient can be returned quickly to their previous state of health/degree of activity. For example, a fractured arm, a hernia or cataracts are classed as acute conditions.
Acute conditions CAN be covered by medical insurance.
A condition which cannot be cured and does not improve through active treatment. Chronic conditions can typically only be “maintained” or “managed”. A good example is asthma or Type 1 diabetes.
Chronic conditions WILL NOT be covered by medical insurance.
Remember, it’s not the severity of the condition that matters most, it’s the prospect for recovery. Sometimes the line between acute and chronic conditions can be blurred, so we’re always on-hand to answer specific questions from our clients in relation to a claim.
You’ll often see references to ‘inpatient’, ‘day-patient’ and ‘outpatient’ care within the terms of a policy. For example, an insurance company might stipulate an exclusion for inpatient care so it’s well worth knowing what these terms mean.
All three scenarios CAN be covered by a Group Health policy.
Group Health Plans often include additional health perks which can raise the value – and usefulness – of a scheme. Such added extras can include:
With such a wide array of core benefits and added extras, Business Health Insurance schemes can be carefully tailored to the needs of any business.
That’s why, as a health insurance broker, we make it our job to get acquainted with your business and its needs before advising on the best course of action. After all, a Group Health Insurance package which worked perfectly for one client, is unlikely to be a perfect fit for you. Industry, sector, demographics, company size and budgetary constraints are all important factors in uncovering the right deal.
Need help negotiating the world of Group Health Insurance?
Whatever your situation, we’ll find the solution.
Call the industry experts at Engage on
Both the company and its employees stand to benefit.
The following factors influence the cost of Group Health Insurance:
Below are indicative costs for small and medium businesses (based on new to market schemes, comprehensive cover, home counties location and non-London hospitals). *
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No of Employees
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Average Age
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Monthly Cost per Employee
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|---|---|---|
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2-9
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25
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£28.00 - £35.00
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35
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£31.00 - £48.00
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|
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45
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£42.00 - £62.00
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|
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55
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£61.00 - £88.00
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No of Employees
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Average Age
|
Monthly Cost per Employee
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|---|---|---|
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10-29
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25
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£22.00 - £30.00
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35
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£27.00 - £45.00
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|
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45
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£33.00 - £52.00
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|
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55
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£45.00 - £69.00
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No of Employees
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Average Age
|
Monthly Cost per Employee
|
|---|---|---|
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30-49
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25
|
£17.00 - £25.00
|
|
35
|
£24.00 - £41.00
|
|
|
45
|
£31.00 - £50.00
|
|
|
55
|
£40.00 - £62.00
|
|
No of Employees
|
Average Age
|
Monthly Cost per Employee
|
|---|---|---|
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50+
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25
|
£13.00 - £22.00
|
|
35
|
£21.00 - £35.00
|
|
|
45
|
£28.00 - £44.00
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|
|
55
|
£38.00 - £58.00
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*Premiums shown are based on multiple sources including Engage Health Group existing client base, company quotations issued, external sources, dummy quotations via insurer portals and market averages. Other variables can apply and all figures presented are for indication only purposes.
"We have been delighted with the service from Engage Health Group since moving to them a year or so back. They offer a responsive, knowledgeable and imaginative service which has enabled us to improve the accurate targeting and cost of our health insurance needs. It is always a pleasure dealing with them.”
There are two ways of buying Group Health Insurance:
AKA the hazardous route. Ultimately, you are talking directly to a sales advisor who will want you to purchase the deal that works best for them from a commercial perspective. It’s only further down the line that you might discover the deal isn’t as great as it first sounded.
For example, perhaps it doesn’t provide the breadth of coverage you first thought, or the claims process is more complicated than first thought – leading to a stressful and time-sapping experience for HR.
We’ve spoken to many businesses and HR professionals who have suffered this very fate.
Any truly independent insurance consultant or broker will have your best interests at heart. For example, as independent experts we work for the customer and not the insurance provider. The client’s needs are our number one priority
We also have existing relationships with ALL the different insurance providers – we know what deals are available and what may be negotiable. Furthermore, the insurance companies know that we are experts in our field, so we can get to a competitive price at speed. They also know we’re talking to the other insurance providers too. In other words, they’re competing for our attention and therefore will offer deals unavailable to the public.
But a note of caution: not all brokers are truly independent. Some, have cosy relationships with one or two providers and therefore are limited in what deals they have to offer.
We have outlined some more of the pros and cons below.
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PURCHASE CHANNEL
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Independent advice on all insurers in the market
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Annual market reviews, price comparison & market negotiation
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Regulated by the FCA to give advice about whole market
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Real time experience of all insurer claims & service levels
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Sales function free to recommend best option from multiple insurers
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Personal ongoing service
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Premium the same as other channels
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Specialist independent broker
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Direct from insurer
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Sales agent of specific insurer/franchise
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Comparison sites
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Usually price only
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There are hundreds of private hospitals and facilities across the British Isles and with a company health insurance plan, employers have the flexibility to choose what best fits their organisation.
Some of the key hospital groups include Aspen, BMI, HCA, Nuffield, Ramsey and Spire, all of which are available via UK health insurers. Some insurers offer full hospital coverage as standard, whereas some choose to group them with different premium costs attached, meaning it’s very important for employers to assess what is suitable for their staff.
In addition, many insurers allow their members to be treated within the private facilities of NHS hospitals, such as NHS pay-beds.
Excess
An excess means that employees will pay a pre-determined amount towards any eligible treatment costs, in exchange for a discount on the company paid premium. All insurers offer excesses and they can range from £50 up to £2,000.
The most common excess on Business Health Insurance is £100, and this is typically applicable per person, per policy year. This means that the health insurance excess is only paid once during the 12 month policy year, but if employees have family members on cover, they each carry the same excess value. But beware, if medical treatment spans two policy years (across the renewal date), employees may be liable to pay the excess twice for the same condition.
Some insurers offer a “per claim” excess, which delivers a greater premium saving, but is naturally not as welcomed by employees.
Shared Responsibility
Similar to an excess but slightly different in its approach. With shared responsibility, the employer still selects a co-payment amount which the employee must pay up to (eg £100) for any treatment costs/claims.
However, instead of the employee having to pay the entire £100 before the insurer steps in, both parties (employee and insurer) agree to pay a 25%/75% split for every claim (no matter how small), until the £100 member contribution is reached. From this point, the insurer covers all costs.
6-week rule
If this option is selected, it states that should an employee need in/day-patient treatment and it’s available on the NHS within 6 weeks, the employee must follow this route. If the NHS cannot treat the employee within 6 weeks, they can access private care immediately.
Any available out-patient treatment (consultations/diagnostic tests for example) can still be accessed right away irrespective of the NHS waiting list, and the option can deliver up to a 25% discount on the company premium.
Health Insurance, much like any insurance, is designed to cover new conditions which aren’t known to us when a policy starts. If you have an ongoing, pre-existing or known medical condition prior to starting a policy, it is very unlikely that any insurer will agree to provide cover for this, depending on its severity.
However, for a company purchasing Business Health Insurance for their staff, there are options which exist whereby pre-existing conditions can be covered. This is namely Medical History Disregarded (MHD).
Once a company scheme is in place the monthly rates will be fixed for 12 months, other than for any member adjustments.
The insurer will then provide renewal terms between 6-8 weeks before of the annual renewal date, and these will be calculated based on the following:
Most business health insurance premiums increase between 8-12% per annum, but a good independent intermediary/benefit consultancy will negotiate on the employer’s behalf as part of their standard market review service.
► Routine pregnancy
► Congenital conditions
► Chronic conditions
► Accident & Emergency
► Planned Treatment overseas
► IVF and infertility treatments (unless advised otherwise)
► Gender reassignment (unless advised otherwise)
► Cosmetic treatment
Many insurers only need a minimum of 2 employees, but some require 3 as their starting point.
No – private healthcare should be used to complement our fantastic NHS and cannot replace it. The NHS is best placed for a number of key areas of healthcare such as childbirth, accident & emergency and intensive care.
Like many insurances, Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) applies and is automatically baked into the premium. This is paid by the employer at the current rate of 12%.
For the employee, Business Health Insurance is classed as a benefit in kind, and is therefore a taxable benefit for the purposes of P11D. The amount of tax an employee pays will be linked directly to their own portion of the overall premium and their own tax bracket.
Telemedicine/Virtual GP
Most Private Medical Insurers now provide a Virtual GP service as part of their standard policies. Telemedicine in general cone exploded in recent years due to long waiting lists with NHS GP’s, and the ability for people for fit a consultation around their schedule. The benefits of a Virtual GP are as follows:
Approximately 70% of GP consultations don’t actually require any physical examination, which means that telemedicine can greatly reduce the strain on the NHS.
NHS Cash Benefit
Many insurers have this option included as standard within their plan. If a member needs to be admitted to hospital for an in/day-patient procedure and the member is happy to follow that route, they are able to claim the NHS Cash Benefit in exchange for not being treated privately. This can range from £50 to £250 per night/day depending on which insurer you are with.
Mental Health and Psychiatric treatment
An increase in mental health awareness has inspired employers to seriously consider how they can best provide for their staff in this area. Conditions such as depression and anxiety are now more openly reported and it is widely acknowledge that people need help in these areas.
Company health insurance providers have always offered some provision in this area, but they’ve really excelled in the past 24-36 months to provide a greater degree of assistance. These can include:
► Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
► Talking Therapies
► Telephone counselling
► Face to Face Counselling
► Mindfulness courses (online and via apps)
For more serious conditions, Psychiatric and psychological services can also be selected as part of a Business Health Insurance policy.
Read more on mental health issues related the Covid pandemic.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy and muscular-skeletal conditions in general, account for a huge proportion of Private Medical Insurance claims across the entire market. Because of this, most insurers will have specific physio networks set up in order for them to:
► Control costs
► Guarantee quality outcomes
► Improve the member journey
Insurers will always prefer for employees/members to follow their pre-established pathways for the above reasons, however, there are also some excellent benefits to members also:
► No need to obtain a GP referral
► Enhanced number of sessions made available
► Cost of physiotherapy sessions covered in full with no shortfalls
If an employee wanted to use a physiotherapist that wasn’t part of the insurer’s network, this can still usually be accommodated; however, the insurer may only agree to pay a certain amount per session, leaving the employee to cover the difference.
All insurers operate fee guidelines behind scenes, and they basically stipulate the £ amount an insurer will pay up to for consultants, anaesthetists and certain procedures. Whilst insurers might advise their cover is “full refund”, in actuality, this means that they will pay in full up to the amount they deem to be reasonable and customary for that item.
For example, if nine out of ten consultants charge £220 for an initial orthopaedic consultation, and the tenth consultant wants to charge £300, the insurer needs to challenge this. It is then for the tenth consultant to demonstrate to the insurer why their expertise is worth more. If they can show lower readmission rates, heightened clinical skills etc, then the insurer may agree to meet the rate. If not, the insurer will apply a fee guideline and if a member chose to use the tenth consultant, they would be personally liable for the difference (the shortfall).
The best way to avoid shortfalls is to ensure that pre-authorisation is sought prior to any consultations or treatment, as the insurer will be able to advise members is advance.
Some insurers do not operate in this way and offer true “full cover” as standard. Other insurers provide this feature as an upgrade option.
Yes – Business Health Insurance can be classed as a business expense.
The UK business health insurance market is a competitive place and following are the key providers:
Whilst all of these insurers can deliver the core medical insurance benefits which customers want, each is uniquely different in many different ways.
The range of benefits, features, modularity, service and cost can differ wildly, hence the important of independent advice coupled with annual market review and premium negotiation.
