AIG unveils employee health support paths

Wednesday 9 February 2022

'Guides explain how Group IP can help cancer and musculoskeletal conditions'

UK life insurer AIG Life Limited has created two new group income protection pathways that explain to employers the journey employees can take prevent specific health conditions, and the support they both get when employees are too ill to work.

AIG’s latest guides focus on cancer and musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions and follow the mental health pathway launched last year.

They quickly and easily explain to employers the expert support available to both the employee and employer through their group income protection policy, and how to access the financial benefits if an employee is off work sick for a while.

Content is broken into sections that point to support available at each stage of the journey from AIG Life, its six interconnected health and wellbeing services known as Smart Health, LifeWorks and Proclaim Care:

  • Prevention – giving employees the tools and knowledge from day one of their GIP policy to reduce the risk of a health condition
  • Diagnosis and treatment – giving employees expert guidance when it’s really needed, and advice to employers on what to do and say when a colleague is having treatment
  • Absence notification
  • Vocational rehabilitation during and after treatment
  • Making a claim
 
Commenting on their launch, Chris Morgan, Head of Group Protection Distribution, said:

“The pathways have been designed with employers in mind as it can be difficult to know what to do or how to help a colleague.

“This practical guide helps employers quickly and easily understand the support that is there to help both employee and the business, so they know how to gain full value from their group income protection.”

 

Tackling common demand for help

AIG has focused its pathways on mental health, cancer and MSK as its own evidence suggests they are the most common conditions that employees want and need help with.

Almost half (45%) of the group income protection claims paid by AIG in 2020 were for these three conditions.

Smart Health, which provides all members of group income protection schemes and their families with six telehealth services as part of their group income protection, has also seen high demand for help to cope in these situations.

Back pain, joint pain, low mood/depression and anxiety are among the top conditions discussed with a UK-registered GP via Smart Health1 and group scheme members had over 1700 consultations with a psychologist to help manage their mental health since its launch.

The second medical opinion service has been valuable too - 10% of patient cases have been reviewed by orthopaedic experts and 9% of second opinions were for oncology.

Financial advisers and employee benefits consultants keen to share the cancer, musculoskeletal and mental health pathways with clients can find them in the Group Income Protection section of AIG's website.

1 Usage data is to 31st December 2021 and provided by Teladoc Health, global telehealth care provider behind Smart Health by AIG.