Circle Health Group has launched MyWay – a subscription service targeted towards businesses that want to offer employees health cover for a more affordable price.
MyWay is a monthly service that offers an annual allowance of up to £10,000 to use on consultant and GP appointments, tests, checks and scans.
“Circle offers a range of services, but this is the first time we have ventured into a subscription model like this”, a Circle Health spokesperson told Health & Protection.
Mark O’Herlihy, chief commercial officer of Circle Health Group (pictured), said: “Subscription services like Netflix and HelloFresh have revolutionised our lives. Why should healthcare be any different?”
Circle Health said MyWay will “shake up the traditional private medical insurance model that has dominated private healthcare for the last 80 years.”
“Traditional insurance models are often extremely expensive and can be inaccessible to organisations with older workforces,” Circle Health said.
MyWay subscriptions range from £19.99 to £34.50 per month. The service includes a 10% discount on surgery and specialist treatment at any of Circle Health Group’s 54 hospitals across Britain and unlimited private virtual GP appointments.
“That’s less than £250 a year, the average cost of one appointment with a specialist consultant,” Circle Health said.
“Unlike traditional private health insurance, there are no excesses to pay every time you use your membership benefits, and you have the reassurance that we will cover pre-existing conditions.”
O’Herlihy said: “For every 13 workers one person is long-term sick – the UK has a massive ‘sick-force’ problem, and we desperately need new healthcare solutions to tackle this productivity challenge and get the economy moving.
“MyWay offers businesses a reliable, viable and effective solution to their workers’ health needs.”
Paul Manning, a consultant surgeon at Nottinghamshire University Hospital NHS Trust, who helped to design the service, said: “The patients we’re seeing now are more acute and less able to return to work.
“Simple subscription products like this exist in other countries to prevent this problem, guaranteeing rapid access to specialists at affordable prices.
“We have a huge gap in provision for businesses looking to cover their employees’ healthcare needs. Particularly sole traders, small business owners and organisations with large numbers of older employees, getting private medical insurance to cover their staff can be a real headache.
“This low-cost service has been designed by doctors to bridge the gap for businesses looking to provide a good access to care for their employees in a challenging economic climate.”