Follow us on:

CloseClose

Employers at risk of letting down staff diagnosed with a critical illness

Press release 18 March 2018. 

Group Critical Illness is, relatively speaking, the newest and fastest growing of the group risk insurances (employer-sponsored life assurance, income protection and critical illness) but research* from industry body GRiD indicates that employers may lack a full understanding of the product. Only 27% identified the correct definition of Group Critical Illness (GCI) as ‘a policy taken out by an employer to provide a tax-free lump sum to an employee on the diagnosis of one of a defined list of serious conditions or on undergoing one of a defined list of surgical procedures’.

Some employers wrongly believe GCI will pay an income (rather than a lump sum) to employees whilst they have a serious illness, or is simply to cover expenses as a result of the illness and others thought the policy paid out to the employer instead of the employee. In fact, a claim can be initiated once the employee has survived a critical illness included under the policy for a specific period of time (typically 14 days) and the employee has complete freedom about how they use the pay-out.

Advances in treatment

Advances in early diagnoses and treatment mean that increasing numbers of people are surviving critical illnesses** so it’s even more important to support them following a diagnosis:

  • 1 in 2 UK people in the UK will develop cancer during their lifetime and the number of people living with cancer is set to double from more than 2 million in 2010 to 4 million by 2030
  • Around 7 million people are currently living with heart and circulatory disease in the UK and an estimated 915,000 people alive in the UK today have survived a heart attack
  • There are over 2 million stroke survivors in the UK and almost two thirds of those will have left hospital with a disability

However, The Money Advice Service*** has found that 12.4 million UK adults would have to borrow or could not pay when faced with an unexpected £300 bill, and 64% of adults do not have savings equivalent to three months’ income or more. The stress caused by this pressure on finances is the last thing someone needs when dealing with a critical illness. The financial pay-out from critical illness cover can ease that financial burden.

Average claim: £71,463

Where financial protection was in place for employees, GRiD’s most recently published figures show that the average claim on GCI insurance was £71,463****. This money can support an employee in many ways, such as to adapt their home if required, to pay for treatment, for everyday living expenses, to supplement sick pay, to take family on a much-needed holiday, or to give time away from work to re-evaluate their life.

The advantages for an employer is that GCI can also give an employee the support they need to return to work and it can engender loyalty and increase engagement, not just with the employee receiving the benefit but fellow colleagues too. It reflects positively when others see how well a business looks after someone when they’re ill.

Extra support

According to GRiD’s research, the most popular reason for offering GCI is to ‘look after staff and their families’. A financial pay-out is an obvious benefit but GCI can also support in other ways with the extra services that are often included, and these can also offer much needed emotional and practical support.  Such support can include access to an Employee Assistance Programme, a second medical opinion service, personalised cancer support, nurse-led support, a treatment-sourcing service and more.

Katharine Moxham, spokesperson for GRiD said: “Being diagnosed with a critical illness is extremely traumatic, and a pay-out can buy both valuable time and freedom for the individual employee and their family whilst they come to terms with their new normal. Where no protection is in place, employees could face the additional burden of financial stress which is hugely unsettling in itself, but it may also be unhelpful in recovering from a medical condition or getting over surgery.”

The research also shows that employers don’t currently think it’s as important to their employees as the other group risk benefits, with 38% seeing group income protection as the most important of the three, 29% seeing life assurance as the most important and 20% seeing critical illness as the most important.

Katharine Moxham points out: “Each group risk benefit offers something quite different in its own right. Group Life offers peace of mind to employees that their household will be supported financially in the event of their death, Group Income Protection provides continued pay for employees who are unable to work for any length of time due to illness, injury or disability and Group Critical Illness supports people with a lump sum payment at a time when they have received the news of a devastating diagnosis. All offer quite distinct benefits, but also work well together.”

  • Ends -

* The research was undertaken by Opinium on behalf of Group Risk Development (GRiD), amongst 500 HR decision makers in 500 UK businesses, including 100 in companies with more than 250 employees, during November 2017.

The GRiD Research was sponsored by Aviva, Canada Life, The Chartered Insurance Institute, Ellipse, Generali Global, Gen Re, JLT, Kerr Henderson, Legal & General, Medical Expenses Consulting (UK) Ltd, Munich Re, Punter Southall Health & Protection, Quantum Advisory, SCOR, Self Assured Ltd, Swiss Re, Unum, Wingate Benefit Solutions, Xafinity Consulting and Zurich Corporate Risk.

**

1 in 2 will get cancer: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-us/cancer-news/press-release/2015-02-04-1-in-2-people-in-the-uk-will-get-cancer /

The number of people living with cancer is set to double from more than 2 million in 2010 to 4 million by 2030: https://www.macmillan.org.uk/_images/people-living-with-cancer_tcm9-283689.pdf

Around 7 million people are currently living with heart and circulatory / An estimated 915,000 people alive in the UK today have survived a heart attack https://www.bhf.org.uk/for-professionals/press-centre/facts-and-figures

1.2 million stroke survivors / two thirds leave hospital with disability https://www.stroke.org.uk/resources/state-nation-stroke-statistics

*** Money Advice Service, March to May 2018

**** GRiD Claims Survey 2018

https://grouprisk.org.uk/2018/04/30/2687

For further information please contact:

Sharon Mason 
SMUK Marketing and PR
smason@smuk.org.uk 
Mob: 07747 611773
Land: 01252 843350

Katharine Moxham
Spokesperson for GRiD
Katharine.moxham@grouprisk.org.uk
Mob: 07887 512508

Notes for editors

About GRiD

Group Risk Development (GRiD) is the industry body for the group risk protection sector, promoting the value to UK businesses of providing financial protection for their staff, enhancing their wellbeing and improving employee engagement. Our membership includes insurers, reinsurers and intermediaries who have a collective wealth of experience built over years of operating in the group risk protection market. Under the chairmanship of Steve Bridger (Managing Director Group Protection, Corporate, Aviva UK Insurance), GRiD aims to promote group risk through a collective voice to Government, policymakers, stakeholders and employers.

GRiD works with government departments and regulators involved in legislation and regulation affecting group risk benefits, and with other organisations involved in the benefits and financial protection arenas. GRiD also seeks to enhance the industry's standing by encouraging best practice and by participating in industry-wide initiatives such as the professional qualification in group risk managed jointly with the Chartered Insurance Institute.

GRiD’s media activity aims to generate a wider awareness and understanding of group risk products and their benefits for employers and employees.

GRiD's dedicated spokesperson, Katharine Moxham, provides expert media comment on a full range of group risk issues.

www.grouprisk.org.uk

Follow Katharine Moxham on Twitter @KMoxham

Join now

If you are active in the group risk market and would be interested in gaining a greater share of voice and working more closely with your contemporaries in the industry please get in touch by completing this page.

Benefits of membership:

A STAKE IN POLICY

A STAKE IN POLICY

The opportunity to influence group risk policymaking.

VALUE BY ASSOCIATION

VALUE BY ASSOCIATION

GRiD is a respected voice in the protection sector – as such, membership enhances the status of member organisations.

ACCESS TO EXCLUSIVE INFORMATION

ACCESS TO EXCLUSIVE INFORMATION

Privileged access to output from the various working groups, including consultation responses, regulatory updates, employer research and pan industry claims data. GRiD members also gain exclusive access to industry speakers at member meetings.

Please enter your details:

Member register
  •     Already a member? Please login.