The international private medical insurance (IPMI) sector needs to a better job in educating clients about additional support services attached to claims process.
This is according to panellists participating in a session on the second morning of Health & Protection’s IPMI Summit at Easthampstead Park Hotel in Wokingham.
When asked how well these services such as mental health and rehab support were used and how important they were, Matt Shaw, vice president, global benefits at NFP (pictured left) , told delegates while they were reasonably well advertised by insurers, he was not sure how well used they were.
“I think we can do more to tell people about them,” he continued.
“There are different types of services. There’s loads out there to support people,” he said.
“It almost seems there are so many different ways that people can be helped. How do you tell people all about these ways?
“It’s very difficult to communicate to a member all of the different ways they can be supported.”
Matt Winder, director of First Point Financial Management (pictured centre), added the aim is to always tell clients about these services.
“We do try and tell our clients ahead of time about these,” Winder said. “They are reasonably well advertised by the insurers anyway.
“We’re always trying to self analyse. We can always do better. Let’s make sure we’re 10/10 in terms of educating them.
“But in reality it’s impossible to go through everything every time but we do our best.”
Meanwhile, Andrew Jerrigan, co-founder and CEO of Insured Nomads (pictured right), said providing all the information to clients who never think they are going to claim is always a challenge.
“When you provide a benefit guide, a pdf, the online version, the portal, the apps, people aren’t anticipating getting ill,” he said.
“They are not anticipating having to read that information and create a log in, so it’s more reactionary many times. I should have read that. I should have gone over it, not just purchased it.
“So it’s understanding it, but taking the time to actually realise the benefit and the various features. But no-one feels like they’re going to get ill or injured.
“So they’re many times not aware of these processes.”