Help for Back and Neck Problems

As reported by Health Insurance News, earlier this year Aviva (then Norwich Union) launched a special product which aims to help people deal with back and neck problems quickly and efficiently. Back-Up, as the product is called, was only offered to companies with the aim that it would help them to reduce time taken off by staff with back and neck complaints. The product has now been launched for individual private medical insurance customers.

According to Aviva subscribers to Back-Up have seen a reduction in the number of physiotherapy appointments they need by as much as 37.5%.

Clinical development manager for Aviva's UK Health business, Mark Sharpe said:

'Musculoskeletal conditions are one of the top causes of private health insurance claims, yet they have traditionally been treated with a broad brush '6-10 sessions of physiotherapy' approach which gives little consideration to the customer's exact circumstances. Our Back-Up service bucks this trend.

'Evidence now shows that tailoring treatment plans to the individual's personal needs, has a far better out-come for all parties - the individual recovers quicker, employers benefit from reduced sickness absence costs and our medical insurance claims costs, and therefore future premium increases, are controlled.

We are extremely proud of our Back-Up service which has already delivered numerous benefits for our customers. The feedback we've received is absolutely fantastic and we're delighted more of our customers can now benefit from this highly valued service.'

Back-Up provides a dedicated case manager who deals with your concerns. They provide a a 'personalised rehabilitation plan' that is then tailored to your individual needs.

This is an example of a medical insurance company which is diversifying into other health related products. The private health insurance market is thought to be in trouble. Increasing medical costs are set to force companies to increase premiums which will not be popular with consumers. The recession has also had an impact on how, where and if consumers spend money on health cover.