Advisers and employers need to up their game in getting middle aged men to engage with health and add-on benefits and reduce their high death rates.
The call follows the release of data last week from the Continuous Mortality Investigation (CMI) whose data showed the past year was another record low for death rates in England and Wales, with death rates for the year nearly 2% lower than 2024, the previous record low.
However, the one exception was men aged 45-64 whose death rates remained above pre-pandemic levels for the sixth consecutive year.
Speaking to Health & Protection, intermediaries said more needs to be done to ensure more middle aged men engage with health benefits, not least to tackle the biggest cause of death among men aged under 50 – suicide.
Levels of cover
John Kerr, director at Incorporate Benefits, told Health & Protection questions needed to be raised over whether middle aged men were adequately protected with private medical insurance (PMI) benefits.
“Are these people adequately protected?“ he asked.
“Do they have PMI given they’re in that age group where PMI will start get even chunkier on price than it normally would be, because when you get over 60, PMI does get a bit spiky.
“Are they still of that generation that does not seek early intervention in terms of mental health? I’m of that generation.
“Is it the case that with a mental health issue, you brush it under the carpet and you get on with it, or do you confront it?
“If you’re not feeling well, there is that generational thing that rather than getting it checked out, you brush it under the carpet – especially with men.”
Not the same emphasis on men
Kerr adds that while employers have emphasised women’s health at work, there perhaps has not been the same emphasis on men.
“There’s an awful lot of work done around women’s health with menopause and cancer screening, but there hasn’t been the same focus on men,” Kerr continues.
“And also a lot of men are not responding when an employer does try to carry out an initiative like that – again because of the generational psyche that they’re not engaging with it in the same way.”
Low usage
Kristian Breeze, director of healthcare at Ascend Health, would like to see more conclusive data on the reasons for death.
However, he noted it was clear middle aged men did not engage with health benefits in the same way – and employers could be more proactive.
“We know for a fact when we get usage reports we can see gender splits and invariably it’s women that use the value added benefits more than men,“ he said.
“We’ll offer to do a benefits day with companies for example, in person or remote – anything they want so they know what they’ve got access to, how to use it and how to engage with it.
“Often they’ll want to get it done but then they don’t come back to you.
“I know everyone’s busy, but I think advisers should be engaging with clients and be more bullish in making sure that they extend those benefits and engagement days out.”
Suicide rates
Breeze adds that for certain sectors, the data is unfortunately stark.
“Suicide rates among male construction workers, many of whom fall in that age bracket, is alarming – really, really alarming,” he added.
For Dave Middleton, executive chairman of the Association of Medical Insurers and Intermediaries (AMII), not enough is being done to talk about, communicate and help people who are feeling desperate and want to end their lives.
“From an employer perspective, there needs to be more done to help reduce these figures,” Middleton said.
“When you think about all of the stuff we talk about in terms of health and wellbeing and getting the body and mind better, we still don’t do enough to stop the biggest killer in men under 50.
“I just feel there’s so much more that needs to be done.”
