A diagnosis of cancer, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease or another critical illness can turn an employee's life upside down overnight. Alongside the medical and emotional impact, a host of practical questions often arise. What costs will I face? Am I insured? What if I am temporarily unable to work?
To gain a better understanding of what people need when faced with a critical illness, AG joined forces with the Patient Expert Center. This collaboration earned AG the "Made With Patient Experts" quality label.
Listening to those with lived experience
The Patient Expert Center (PEC) is a Belgian organisation that puts patients’ voices at the heart of the development and evaluation of healthcare products and services. Today, the PEC brings together more than 370 certified Patient Experts from a wide range of disease areas. Together, we organised workshops with people who are themselves living with a critical condition. Their experiences gave us valuable insight into the questions, uncertainties and challenges patients face throughout their journey.
The message was clear: patients need straightforward information, personal guidance, simple processes and communication that takes account of their individual circumstances.
What do patients value most about AG?
Its accessibility, simplicity and support. Workshop participants described AG as an organisation that is easy to reach. The MyAG Employee Benefits app was also singled out as a valuable asset because it makes submitting medical expenses so much easier. Patients also see us as more than an insurer. Thanks to our central position, we can become a trusted guide, providing people with a critical illness with greater clarity, structure and support when they need it most.
First insurer to receive the "Made With Patient Experts" quality label
Our collaboration with the PEC resulted in the "Made With Patient Experts" quality label. It is awarded to projects in which patients have been involved in a structured and validated way in the development and evaluation of a product or service. AG is the first insurer to receive this label for its services relating to Critical Illness cover.
For your employees, it provides further assurance that their needs, expectations and experiences are central to the support they receive.
Why Critical Illness cover matters
A critical illness often involves far more than a hospital stay. Treatment, specialist care, medication and rehabilitation may be needed over a prolonged period, sometimes resulting in substantial costs.
This is why the additional Critical Illness cover offers extra protection. For a number of recognised critical conditions, medical expenses related to the illness are reimbursed throughout the year, even when no hospital stay is required. Employees can therefore rely on additional financial support throughout their care journey.
“I did not realise I was covered for that”
It is something we would rather not hear. An employee has been receiving treatment for weeks or even months, with consultations, tests and other medical expenses along the way. Only later do they discover that some of those costs might have been reimbursed through an AG insurance policy.
That is regrettable, not only financially but also on a human level. Support that comes too late often no longer feels like support. As an employer, you can therefore play an important role.
What can you do?
Someone who has just received a critical diagnosis is unlikely to think immediately about the cover available to them. By making employees aware, at the right time, of the support provided through work, you can help prevent a great deal of uncertainty and additional worry.
This may include:
- hospitalisation insurance, which helps cover medical expenses related to a hospital stay, as well as expenses incurred during a specified period before and after the stay;
- income protection insurance, which provides supplementary income when an employee is unable to work for an extended period because of their health;
- a waiver of premiums, which, subject to certain conditions, allows the employee’s supplementary pension to continue building up during a period of incapacity for work;
A simple reminder of the protections you provide can make a significant difference to an employee at a time when they already have so much to contend with.
Keep listening, keep improving
For AG, the PEC quality label is not the end of the journey. The insights gathered with the PEC are helping us refine our services further.
Over the coming months, we will continue turning those insights into tangible improvements, including clearer information, more proactive guidance and support that is better aligned with the questions patients face today. In this way, we can help ensure that your employees feel supported when they need it most.
Questions?
Would you like to know how you can support employees facing a critical illness? Please contact your usual representative. We will be happy to help.