The role insurers play in supporting employers and their overseas staff has changed. Today’s approach is more holistic, designed to cover the full range of employee needs while abroad. In part, this change has been driven by the demands of the client, but technology has also allowed insurers to develop innovative services that were not possible in the past.
For Aetna International, this change has meant extending our services throughout the entire life of the customer journey – from designing quality international private medical insurance (IPMI) products to offering practical and emotional support during treatment or convalescence.
Central to any health insurance plan is the extent to which the product provides access to quality care. Plans can offer high benefit limits and access to a comprehensive range of medical cover, depending on the option chosen. Chronic conditions, cancer, HIV, out-patient, in-patient, vision, repatriation of mortal remains, terminal care, evacuation and much more can be covered by a quality plan.
The richness of IPMI plans minimises the risk of an employee’s accident or illness not being covered. Most insurers offer a range of plans, with elective benefit options, access to additional support such as counselling, and increased benefit limits towards the higher end of the range.
Support system
The holistic nature of an international private medical policy means that some of the benefits offered go beyond the strict definition of insurance. At Aetna International, for example, members can access our expertise before leaving for their destination. Where members are unable to obtain the prescribed medication they need, this can usually be supplied. Members can call Aetna International to ask about the medical facilities in their new country and how best to go about accessing treatment, should it be needed. Arrangements with a particular facility can be made if a condition requires specialist attention prior to the member arriving.
This type of service means that an employee’s health needs are being attended to from the moment they are added to their employer’s policy, and even before the staff member leaves for their destination.
Indeed, the productivity of teams when overseas is of paramount importance to international employers, and health insurers have an important role to play in this regard. Not only is it vital to provide the care needed to return an unwell or injured employee back to health quickly; minimising the time spent accessing that care is of equal importance.
Technology has helped speed up many aspects of the healthcare process. Many insurers now have secure websites and a suite of mobile applications providing a range of functionality. Aetna International members have access to technology that provides healthcare information specific to their destination, allows them to submit claims online, and allows them to find specialist healthcare in virtually every country in the world.
Both members and their employers now benefit from technology to substantially reduce the time it takes members to access the care and support they need.
For the employer, understanding the risk of sending teams and individuals to manage overseas projects is a challenge. Natural disasters, political unrest or terrorist attacks are just some of the very real risks that exist in many parts of the world
Treatment table
When an accident or illness does occur, the aim will be to get the member of staff fit and healthy again, returning them to work in a timely manner. Insurance providers have extensive networks of approved medical facilities, but the insurer’s role doesn’t stop at the hospital door. Aetna International proactively monitors the care process to ensure the member is receiving appropriate care. If the case is an unusual one requiring specialist help, the patient will be moved to a facility that can offer the treatment needed.
Some insurers support the patient and their family from the moment of diagnosis all the way through treatment and beyond. An adverse medical diagnosis can be a shock, and patients in a foreign country may appreciate help to understand medical information more clearly. Aetna International’s clinical team proactively calls patients to clarify any concerns and answer further questions. Once treatment begins, patients and their families are further reassured by Aetna International ensuring those affected understand how treatment is progressing. This ensures patients receive the care needed and have a clear understanding of the treatment they are undergoing.
For the employer, understanding the risk of sending teams and individuals to manage overseas projects is a challenge. Natural disasters, political unrest or terrorist attacks are just some of the very real risks that exist in many parts of the world, all of which can pose physical danger to employees.
Calm in a crisis
Aetna International has extended its support to include crisis risk management, through crisis management partner red24. Country risk information is made available to clients for planning and monitoring purposes, and the service can include an advice line and the option to extract people from a location where lives are in danger due, for example, to a natural disaster or political unrest.
For example, when a 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal in April 2015, correspondence between red24’s consultants on the ground and the crisis response management team was closely maintained throughout the evacuations. Prompt updates were provided to all organisations regarding the safety of their employees.
The evacuation included 16 Dutch nationals and two locals who were white water rafting. The earthquake struck while they had stopped at a remote location, leaving them stranded. A bridge had been damaged, meaning they were unable to seek assistance. red24’s crisis support team immediately deployed a consultant to locate the individuals and provided helicopter evacuation from the area.
Private primacy
Insurers are increasingly working with employers to encourage healthier living and prevent illness where possible. With a strong link to employee productivity and retention, the focus on employee wellness has become more pronounced in recent years. Aetna International has introduced health assessments and an incentive programme that rewards healthy behaviours, both of which have helped to encourage positive lifestyle changes for the mutual benefit of employers and employees. Aetna International enhances the offering for members on group plans with an independent counselling service covering a wide range of issues that affect employees’ work and personal lives. This support has been found to have a significant positive impact on stress-related absence.
International employers face a demanding set of challenges when setting up and running operations abroad. Organisations looking to develop a positive, healthy and productive workforce should put employee health and wellness at the top of their agenda. Forward-thinking international insurers are proactively supporting today’s corporates by providing wide-reaching benefits, tools and services. These packages underpin all aspects of their employees’ health needs and support employers’ corporate ambitions overseas.
A new benchmark
Aetna International launched two innovative and market-leading international private medical insurance products in November 2015. The launch was the culmination of almost two years’ work that saw the company evolve from insurer to holistic provider of healthcare benefits to its membership.
Aetna International’s vision is to be a healthcare partner for its members around the world, helping them to stay healthy at every stage of their journey. The firm’s new products are central to that vision and form part of an overall member service that will respond to health needs wherever members find themselves. Aetna Pioneer is aimed at individuals and families, while Aetna Summit focuses on group clients. In both cases, the products’ design focuses on members’ healthcare requirements, and combines flexible features with extensive clinical expertise and personalised service from experienced in-house teams.
Aetna Pioneer and Aetna Summit are modular in style and offer five base-plan levels – Aetna Pioneer/Summit 1750, 2500, 4000 and 5000 – with a higher number denoting a greater overall plan limit and richer cover. Annual benefits range from $1.75m to $5m. All plans cover inpatient treatment in full, emergency medical evacuation, and treatment for cancer as standard. Those taking the higher-level plans receive proportionally greater benefits such as support to manage chronic conditions, compassionate visits by family members, dental and vision, and full outpatient cover for the top-level Aetna Pioneer/Summit 5000 plans.
Tailored benefits
Depending on their plan level, members can access a range of additional benefits to help them stay healthy, including: a medical network of more than one million providers in the USA and 165,000 throughout the rest of the world; health assessments to assist in identifying risks to future health, and to provide access to support in managing health; a healthy behaviours premium discount for members with a track record of healthy living; country risk information to raise awareness of risks associated with international geographies; on-the-ground crisis management services, including removal from an area exposed to a natural disaster or political disturbance, for members on the 4000 and 5000 level plans in partnership with red24; an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) that provides independent counselling covering a wide range of issues that affect employees’ work and personal lives; support from Aetna International’s Care and Response Excellence (CARE) team, staffed by clinicians and logistics experts, to assist members with anything from pre-authorisations and evacuation management, to hospital navigation and condition management programmes, like cancer and diabetes; and access to a secure member website and a range of mobile apps to manage healthcare, submit claims online and access self-help tools.
For Aetna International, it’s about placing members and corporate customers at the centre. Aetna International has evolved into more than a health insurance firm, aligning wellness and protection with a high-personal-touch service capability to set a new benchmark for the international private medical insurance industry in supporting the health of its members globally.