Canada Life is extending its WeCare virtual healthcare services beyond income protection and small SME customers to all of its 2.8 million group protection members.
The insurer is also adding a new virtual physiotherapy service for group income protection and group critical illness schemes.
Speaking to Health & Protection, head of product and proposition strategy Chris Morgan (pictured), explained how the service has been reassessed by the provider due to strong demand, increased competition, adviser feedback and inquisitive employers asking more questions about these benefits.
From today WeCare, which is provided by Teladoc Health UK, is available to all insured group protection scheme members plus their partner and immediate family from the date of their employer’s annual policy renewal.
Two levels of service are included with a wider spread of benefits for group income protection (GIP) and group critical illness (GCI) schemes.
All group scheme members, including under group life, have access to WeCare’s 24/7 phone and video GP service, as well as mental health counselling, a 24/7 mental health helpline, bereavement and probate support, plus nutrition and an improved Get Fit programme, self-help articles and emotional wellbeing app MyStrength.
GIP and GCI members can access a new virtual physiotherapy service to help manage their musculoskeletal health.
Booking a video consultation and assessment with a chartered physiotherapist provides them with a tailored rehabilitation exercise programme.
This programme is supported by AI, with the aim of giving the patient real-time video and audio feedback while they are doing the exercises as well as physiotherapist feedback on their treatment plan progress.
GIP and GCI members also have continued finance and legal support alongside WeCare’s second medical opinion service.
Internal analysis
Analysis of its 2024 claims paid revealed enhanced WeCare access might be valuable to people with mental health and musculoskeletal conditions in particular.
The insurer noted cancer remained the most common reason for a claim under group life, group income protection and group critical illness policies, followed by mental illness and musculoskeletal conditions for GIP, as well as heart conditions for GCI.
Though Morgan told Health & Protection the changes also followed strong demand from customers.
“We have around 250,000 employees who are registered to use WeCare and are using WeCare,” Morgan said.
“Last year we delivered 25,000 virtual GP appointments, 2,500 second medical opinion consultations and more than 12,000 mental health consultations for our members.
“The impact of some of those services has been quite significant on the members that have added the benefit who have had access to them.”
But Morgan added adviser feedback has also played a role.
“We have had feedback from advisers who have said, ‘We really like WeCare, but some of our customers don’t have access to it.'”
Commercial realities
There have also been commercial realities of the markets to consider, Morgan said, adding a number of insurers now have virtual healthcare services attached to their protection products.
“We were one of the first to launch such services, so it’s only right that we now take a moment to reflect and look at how we can improve those,” he continued.
“It’s probably a combination of those things. I think insurers need to continue to improve the services that they offer to keep up with the market and in order to lead the market where they can.”
These services can also determine which provider an employer chooses, Morgan explained.
“Increasingly support services have become more important in terms of placement in terms of which insurer an employer chooses to go with.
“We’ve definitely seen more employers ask the right questions on support services – Do you have a virtual GP? Who has access to it? How can you help me manage mental health in my workforce and in my organisation?”
Significant change
Morgan described this as a significant change in the market over the last four or five years.
“Increasingly, we have seen many cases where advisers are coming to us and they are interested in the product, the service, the brand, and all of the terms and conditions in the insurance, but they’re also interested in what we do from a support services point of view,” he continued.
“It’s important for us to make sure we can respond to that in the best possible way and therefore extending the service is a logical thing to do.
“It’s a combination of the great feedback we’ve had from customers who are using it, our desire to support customers and to help customers as best we can in the right moment and in the right way, but also the commercial reality that is this something that advisers are giving us feedback on, that customers want these services.”
