Putting the Life into Life Insurance
- Unum UK launches employee cancer support service for Group Life customers with in-the-moment personal guidance and support for employees and their family
- In partnership with cancer experts Reframe, Cancer Assist1 is the insurer’s latest health and wellbeing offering that provides support at any stage of the cancer journey — pre-diagnosis, during and post-treatment
- Cancer accounts for 36% of claims under Unum Group Life Insurance
- Unum’s latest research reveals 93% of employees want their Life Insurance to proactively offer more support for cancer
Unum UK, one of the UK’s leading employee benefits providers, has announced the launch of Cancer Assist, a support service for employees covered under its Group Life policy. The service offers employees and their family members2 access to cancer experts via third-party provider Reframe.
Client navigators from Reframe are available via phone, email and web chat to support employees of Unum’s Group Life customers at every stage of their cancer journey, focusing on these 5 pillars of wellbeing: physical, emotional, financial, social and professional.
Unum reveals that cancer is the most common claim across its Group Income Protection (30%), Critical Illness (65%) and Life Insurance (36%) products. Research from Censuswide*, commissioned by Unum in April 2022, found 93% of respondents wanted their Life Insurance to be more proactive in offering additional cancer support services.
The research also revealed that of respondents who have been diagnosed or treated for cancer in the last 3 years:
- Having an unsupportive employer made them feel less productive, grateful and loyal
- 70% said they could have returned to work sooner if they received better support from their employer
- 49% of employees who currently have cancer said their employer did not provide any form of support to their family
- 52% would like to see support for family members included with Life Insurance
Cancer Assist is the latest offering in Unum’s added-value services for Group Life Insurance policyholders.
Unum recently extended access to its award-winning health and wellbeing app Help@hand from Group Income Protection customers and SME Group Life and Group Critical Illness policyholders to every Group Risk customer. Help@hand (powered by Square Health) provides access to 6 high-quality support services, including remote GPs, mental health support, physiotherapy and a medical second opinion service.
Catherine McDermott, Chief Executive of Reframe, comments:
“Cancer Assist provides in the moment immediate impact to those with questions or queries around cancer and can help support family members too. Cancer impacts all aspects of people’s lives, so equipping people with information and support as they navigate the experience of dealing with cancer has a very positive impact on their wellbeing and their ability to return to work. Reframe has been supporting people at all stages of their cancer journey for over ten years. We are delighted to be providing this new Cancer Assist Support on behalf of Unum."
Glenn Thompson, Chief Distribution Officer, Unum UK, comments:
“With cancer dominating as the top reason people make a claim across all of Unum’s Group Risk products, we wanted to do more to address the needs of customers affected by the disease. We want Cancer Assist to put the life back into Life Insurance and provide employees and their families with access to the health and wellbeing services they deserve to help them live their best life, even in the face of cancer.”
More information
1 Access to the service is facilitated by Unum at no cost to the Unum customer. Unum is not the provider of the service but can withdraw or change the service at any time. The service is entirely separate from any insurance policy provided by Unum and is subject to the terms and conditions of the relevant third-party specialists. There is no additional cost or increase in premium as a result of Unum making this benefit available.
2 Employers and their partners have full access to Cancer Assist. Children can access Cancer Assist up to their 18th birthday with a parent or guardian, or directly up to their 24th birthday if in full-time education.
* Research conducted by Censuswide between 21st – 25th April 2022 amongst a nationally representative sample of 1,003 UK adults
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