12th February 2019
Vitality launches new mental Health Cover to add to Holistic Health and Wellbeing Offering
- VitalityHealth’s comprehensive Mental Health Cover option, providing unlimited CBT and counselling, as well as cover for out-patient and in-patient mental health treatment, goes live
Adds to Vitality’s holistic mental health package which also includes CBT and Counselling, and Vitality Healthy Mind on Core Cover - Through Vitality Healthy Mind, over 20,000 members have clocked up 200,000 mindfulness sessions on mental health apps in the past six months as part of the Vitality Programme
VitalityHealth has further demonstrated its commitment to providing the best mental health cover in the market, with the launch of their new comprehensive mental health package to provide support and treatment to members when they need it most.
The new optional Mental Health Cover module, which went live in January, is expected to make a significant difference for members, not just those at the most severe level of risk. It will provide access to early intervention and support such as unlimited Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and counselling. People will also have access to an additional £1,500 to be spent on out-patient treatment (e.g. with a psychologist) and, for the most severe cases, 28 days of more comprehensive in-patient or day-patient treatment.
Last year Vitality found, as part of Britain’s Healthiest Workplace (2017), that approximately 60% of UK employees that completed the survey, are suffering from either work-related stress or depression, highlighting the scale of the problem. With positive mental health an essential part of overall wellbeing, Vitality is looking to help address this growing issue with its range of cover and options. VitalityHealth’s holistic approach to mental health and wellbeing cover aims to provide support for all members, as well as the ability to upgrade to the most comprehensive level of cover should they wish to.
VitalityHealth became the only insurer to offer mental health cover as part of its Core Cover product back in 2016, and since then has made a number of enhancements and additions to what is offered to its members, including the addition of Vitality Healthy Mind in August last year. As part of Core Cover, members can access online support through Big White Wall [1], as well as cover for up to eight sessions of talking therapy (e.g. counselling or CBT), accessible through self-referral.
Members can additionally access a range of mental health apps for free or at a discounted rate through Vitality Healthy Mind, which incentivises members to engage in healthy mindfulness activities. So far nearly 20,000 Vitality members have logged over 200,000 mindfulness sessions through a range of leading meditation and mindfulness apps offered within the package – including Headspace [2], Buddhify, The Mindfulness App or Calm.
Spending just 10 ‘mindful minutes’ a day using one of these apps sees members earn two Vitality points. These points help members achieve lower premium increases at renewal on their health and life insurance and they’ll have access to discounts across Vitality partners such as Ocado, British Airways and Champneys [3].
1. Big White Wall is a digital mental health support service which is available online 24/7
2. Headspace is offered at 30% off an annual subscription, provides members with access to hundreds of guided meditations on everything from anxiety to productivity. Use of the app has been found to deliver favourable outcomes of interventions including reduced stress, improved focus, increased compassion, decreased aggression in a number of studies.
3. Discounts available depend on the plan selected