Protego Group has launched Protego Total Health Solution

The first part of the solution, Proactive Healthcare, monitors and assesses health, through health screening, conducted by a qualified healthcare professional. In addition, a software package, ARC, helps HR and line managers to understand and manage staff absences.

The second part - Everyday Healthcare - is designed to optimise everyday health and well-being. This helps finance the everyday medical expenses that are excluded from most forms of private medical insurance, including optical and dental checks, prescription costs, maternity/paternity benefits, cash payments while hospitalised and aftercare and recuperation. Employees are also provided with an accredited 24-hour helpline for medical information, advice on legal issues and stress-related problems.

The final part of the product is Critical Healthcare, which is the 'Health Fund' for businesses, set up and administered by YourHealth+. Instead of paying premiums to an insurer, money is placed on deposit with a high street bank (under IBA rules and independently audited), attracting a competitive rate of interest until used for healthcare. It remains a balance sheet asset for the employer. Two layers of stop-loss insurance are put in place in order, first, to protect the fund in the case of high individual claims and, second, to ensure overall protection of the fund.

The Health Fund allows the employer to carry forward unused funds into the next year.