WPA has launched a corporate PMI product designed to cater for each individual employee’s personal needs.
Enterprise Flexible Benefits, which is available to groups of three or more, enables employers to select benefits for employees according to each individual’s specific situation.
The core benefit, Standard Cover, provides in-patient cover and some out-patient consultation benefit. This enables employees to be treated quickly and conveniently.
In addition to Standard Cover there are five other options that can be added to suit the employee’s needs.
These are out-patient, therapy, dental, worldwide and cash plan benefits.
Additionally a stand-alone cash plan is available for employees who are not given Standard Cover.
By allowing employers to select the most appropriate cover for their employees, WPA is addressing a common criticism of PMI that the price includes cover that is not relevant.
WPA’s communications director, David Ashdown added: “This product will open up a wider market and bring new blood into health insurance.”
There are no restrictions on which options each employee can have under this scheme. The only requirement is that three employees are insured under Standard Cover.
To attract new business into the PMI market, WPA is offering a discount of 25 per cent to virgin business. This will reduce by five per cent each year.
And, as an incentive to intermediaries, enhanced commission of 15 per cent is available until the end of 1999. Thereafter the rate will be 10 per cent with 10 per cent renewal.
WPA has also put together a marketing pack for intermediaries which includes a disk based quotation system and a sample press release, advertisement, direct mail leaflet, faxback order form and a useful script to use on follow-up telephone calls.
In an independent product review, Jan Lawson, partner at The Private Health Partnership, commented that Enterprise Flexible Benefits scheme was “well thought out, well presented and well priced”.
The scheme is fully medically underwritten and uses geographical pricing based on the location of the company. Anyone wishing to transfer from another insurer will be accepted on a no worse terms basis.