First Actuarial adds healthcare to its employee benefit services for employers

As strains on public healthcare mean many people face an extended wait for important treatment, employees are increasingly looking to their employers for private health coverage. To help companies meet with that demand, First Actuarial has added healthcare advice to its employee benefit services.

Throughout its 20-year history, First Actuarial has enjoyed rapid growth. It started out as a consultancy delivering actuarial, administration and investment services for pension schemes. And over time, it has expanded into broader employer benefits, including financial wellbeing, defined contribution arrangements, and group protection employee benefits such as life assurance, income protection and critical health cover.

Now, First Actuarial has launched a healthcare benefit service, to help employers meet workforce expectations for private medical cover. The firm’s experts will work to help employers select and manage private medical health insurance, health cash plans and dental insurance.

Lee French, head of employee benefits, commented, “With our healthcare services, our employee benefit specialists can now help clients with the full range of employee benefits – pensions, group protection services such as life assurance, and healthcare. Organisations increasingly want a small number of trusted providers with streamlined service delivery, and that’s what we’re providing.”

The launch is the latest move by First Actuarial to meet client demand for a one-stop shop for employee benefits. In particular, private healthcare has become a higher priority in recent years.

With employees struggling to access NHS services, more and more employers are turning to health and protection benefits, as the Reward & Employee Benefits Association (REBA) recently reported. Employers avoid the disruption that healthcare delays can cause, and they can also get people back to work quickly with speedier rehabilitation.

To that end, Lee added, “Employers tell us that their people expect wellbeing services, and healthcare is an important part of that. It’s all part of the efforts employers are making to reward and retain their valued people.”