A Corporate Health Cash Plan is a simple and affordable way to help your staff with the everyday healthcare costs. Depending on the level of cover, it can provide your employees with cashback to help cover the cost of a range of everyday health treatments including dental check-ups, eye tests, prescriptions and physiotherapy.
This depends on your policy and the tier you choose. For example, a first tier might only offer £100 towards dental treatment whereas a higher tier could offer £250. You get to choose which tier your employees are on.
The most common areas a policy covers include:
Company Private Medical Insurance is the most sought-after insurance benefit among employees.
However, while it’s very popular among workers, it often comes with a big obstacle — the cost. Not every business can afford a comprehensive Corporate Health Insurance scheme.
This is where a Health Cash Plan can step in. Implementing such a policy can be a nice intermediary between offering staff no health cover at all and full Private Medical Insurance (PMI).
There are numerous benefits for companies:
It is easy to confuse a health cash plan and private medical insurance so to help we have put this table together covering the main differences.
Business Health Insurance | Corporate Health Cash Plan |
|---|---|
Covers medical treatment for acute conditions in private UK hospitals, letting staff skip NHS waiting lists. | Pays for minor and regular medical expenses (e.g. dental and optical checkups, prescription fees etc.) |
Usually covers the full cost of treatment for eligible conditions, less any policy excess. | Cover limited per type of treatment (e.g. a fixed amount for dentistry) per policy year. |
Covers private healthcare only (although some providers offer cashback if you choose NHS inpatient care over private care). | Can pay towards both private and NHS healthcare, bridging the gap between free NHS services and those with fees, such as dentistry. |
Insurers have private hospital lists and recommended specialists you can be referred to. | You can typically choose the treatments you receive and where you get them, providing the policy covers a given treatment. |
Most insurers help you organise your treatment and the bill goes directly to them. | You have to organise your own treatment and pay for it initially before the insurer reimburses you. |
While every business is different, Company Health Cash Plans are usually relatively cheap.
Ultimately, the cost of a scheme depends on:
While workers’ age is a factor, the cost per employee is far more dependent on the level of cover you provide rather than the demographic of your workforce.
Below we provide example quotes for two clients who wanted to provide a core level of cover for their employees.
Charity | Agricultural Firm | Location |
|---|---|
Leicestershire | Isle of Wight | Number of Employees |
125 | 35 | Level of Cover |
Tier 1 | Tier 1 | Cost Per Employee | £5.02 per month | £5.12 per month |
The general route to a claim is:
You may wish to check with the insurer that the policy covers the treatment you’re seeking, as well as the level of cover the insurer offers for that treatment.
When you first take out the policy, you may have to wait out an excess period before you can make a claim. This will depend on your insurer, but it could be as long as 6 months.
Companies providing Health Cash Plans can typically offset the cost against their corporation tax bill. Generally, premiums are a tax-deductible business expense.
However, such plans are a P11D / benefit in kind. You’ll therefore need to pay employer’s National Insurance contributions on the benefit.
As it’s also a P11D / benefit in kind for employees, staff must pay additional tax as a result of having the policy as well. To achieve this, HMRC reduces a worker’s annual allowance — the amount they can earn before HMRC deducts tax — by the same amount as the premiums a company pays on their behalf.
It is unlikely that a provider will refuse cover if someone to be included on the plan has a pre-existing condition.
Moreover, generally speaking, there are few pre-existing health conditions that would fall under the remit for treatment from a Company Health Cash Plan.
A corporate health cash plan is deemed to have a cash value so any employees in receipt of cover will be liable to tax as a P11D benefit.
To pay the tax the employee’s tax code will be adjusted so that their personal allowance (the amount they can earn before paying tax) falls.
We are an independent insurance adviser with access to every leading UK provider. Below is a list of the main insurers we work with:
Each insurer has their own way of working so it is important to do your research. Price is often a driver but there are other things to consider, such as customer support and the speed of paying claims.
Many of the top UK business health cash plans now come with support services which can include a Virtual GP service, counselling helpline and health and wellbeing discounts.
As mentioned, a scheme can slot in as a happy medium between having no health cover and comprehensive Private Medical Insurance.
Other options to build a rounded employee benefits package include:
In some cases we have been able to help our clients by implementing a cash plan alongside their business health insurance.
The corporate health cash plan can be used to cover a higher excess which can help reduce the overall cost of the more expensive private medical insurance scheme.
Not every business has the time or expertise to set up and administer a benefits package for their staff.
When you choose Drewberry, we take all the heavy lifting off your desk. We’ll do what we’re best at — managing a great employee benefits package for your staff — so you can get on with doing what you’re best at: Delivering your own proposition.
We started Drewberry™ because we were tired of being treated like a number.
We all deserve a first class service when it comes to things as important as protecting our health and our finances. Below are just a few reasons why it makes sense to talk to us.
If you need help setting up an new employee cash plan or are reviewing an existing arrangement call us on 02074425880 or email help@drewberry.co.uk.
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