ProtectionOct 10 2018

The benefits of group protection policies for cancer treatment

  • Understand why it is important for employers to have employee benefits in place.
  • Learn about the main benefits of group income protection and group critical illness cover.
  • Consider some of the criticisms levelled at group critical illness and why cancer makes up the majority of claims.
  • Understand why it is important for employers to have employee benefits in place.
  • Learn about the main benefits of group income protection and group critical illness cover.
  • Consider some of the criticisms levelled at group critical illness and why cancer makes up the majority of claims.
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CPD
Approx.30min
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CPD
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CPD
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The benefits of group protection policies for cancer treatment

Employee Assistance Programme

As the name implies, an EAP is designed to be there to help employees with anything at all that might be troubling them. The breadth of this service cannot be underestimated for someone living with cancer.

There will be obvious ways to make use of the helpline to address the impact on mental health through counselling, which may be delivered over the telephone or face-to-face depending on what is most comfortable and convenient for the individual. The headline benefit is not the only way it can help, though.

There may be less obvious consequences of a cancer diagnosis, and for many of these the experts on the other end of the EAP helpline can still offer guidance and support.

Perhaps an employee needs extended or irregular periods of leave to attend hospital appointments or recover from treatment. The EAP can advise on employment rights, adjustments to the workplace or flexible working options.

Reduced earnings or care costs could be weighing on the cost of living, in which case the EAP can offer help with budgeting or debt management.

Signposting this benefit early and often can take a huge weight off an employee’s shoulders, giving them access to someone they can discuss any concerns they are having with, in complete confidence, any time of day or night.

Second medical opinion

Cancer is a complex set of illnesses – over 200 separate varieties – and treatment is a fast-moving area of research.

It is important to be absolutely certain the diagnosis is accurate and the treatment plan is the best possible based on the specific circumstances of the individual. There can be a reluctance to get a second opinion, but when something as important as your health is on the line it should be seen as prudent and considered perfectly normal.

Best Doctors, a provider of second medical opinion services, recommends changes in treatment 34 per cent of the time, and a change in the diagnosis in 12 per cent of cases.

This can have far-reaching consequences in a cancer case.

At no cost to the patient, firms like Best Doctors can have a patient's entire case reviewed which, for cancer, includes a retesting of the pathology – a vital step in ensuring clinical certainty.

Simply reviewing the existing file will more than likely lead to the original opinion being corroborated, so to get the most value out of the service the experts leave no stone unturned.

Early Intervention Services

EIS is typically best suited to complex or subjective absences but can still be useful in clearer-cut clinical cases.

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