Insurance Company To Get Rid Of Corporate Health Plan Cancer Treatment Limits

A leading insurance company in the UK has announced this week that it will no longer be selling corporate health plans that include overall cost or time limits for cancer treatment.

In 2005/2006, cancer treatment costs increased considerably, mainly down to the introduction of new medications used to battle cancer. Many insurance companies used benefit caps and time limits in their corporate health plan to limit the financial impact on their client businesses.

Although this helped businesses financially, some patients who were claiming treatment on the corporate health plan could end up reaching their benefit limit at a critical part of their treatment meaning having to pay for the remainder of treatment themselves or changing it altogether.

The new change to these corporate health plans hope to be able to provide the best healthcare possible to employees who are in the middle of such a difficult time during treatment whilst still being able to provide a policy that is still affordable to businesses.

The Price of Employee Health Benefits

A recent survey of employers conducted by Mercer has revealed that the costs for businesses in the UK providing benefits such as employee health insurance to workers has increased by nearly 5 per cent in the last year. These increased costs are the largest seen throughout Europe.


Inflation on medical services has been attributed with the blame on the price rise of employee health insurance plans in the UK. New advances in medical science and treatments have also contributed to the price hike. There are also a greater number of claims being processed by Insurers. Many people who would not always claim for everything are now trying to make the most of their premium in such difficult economical times.


The majority of employers in the UK do not ask for any employee contributions and therefore take the full brunt of these costs.

Small Firms and Maternity Leave

The current plan to exempt firms with less than 10 employees from the upcoming chance to maternity leave rights have been questioned by the Lib Dems. Conservative leaders plan to allow these firms the right to negotiate the length of paternal leave on an individual basis, which the Lib Dems claim would encroach on EU laws.

Businesses are currently obliged to offer women on maternity leave their original position if they have been off for less than 6 months or another position with the same pay and similar conditions if they are away for up to a year. From April, if a mother returns to work without having taken her full year's entitlement her partner can take up the remaining time for a maximum of 6 months.

Businesses Encouraged To Check Insurance

A recent increase in prosecutions by the Heath and Safety Executive has prompted many businesses to thoroughly asses their Employer's Liability and other insurance policies.

Two notable prosecutions this year are the Vradford takeaway owner fined for failing to insure against work related illness or injury, and a Walsall metal forming company where a young worker lost parts of two fingers om his first day on the job.

Many insurance companies offer packages combining several essential policies such as Employer's Liability, Retail insurance or office insurance, however the HSE is actively encouraging businesses to couble check all their policies in order to protect themselves against future prosecution