Benefit Insurers step up by providing Mental Health Support during COVID-19
COVID-19 has changed the world we live in. As a result, our mental health and well-being has inevitably been affected.
Many insurers are offering health related tools and resources to help client partners navigate through uncertain times, and to ensure that mental health remains a top priority.
Here’s What Some Insurers Are Doing:
Desjardins
Desjardins is providing 4 hours of free psychological counselling accessible by phone or online, available through their Employee Assistance Program 360° regardless of whether the current group plan offers the service or not.
They have also expanded their list of virtual care providers to include 12 additional counsellors, therapists and healthcare professionals, as well as dedicated an entire page to COVID-19 on their Health is Cool 360° platform.
Canada Life
Canada Life is offering free professional credit counselling available for 3 months through their Credit Counselling Society, which is a non-profit service to help people manage expenses during challenging times.
Services include:
Confidential one-on-one financial coaching
Debt management program
They have also implemented an initiative called Workplace Strategies for Mental Health, which includes a series of tools and information to support mental health and safety, including a series of videos and blogs about managing anxiety around COVID-19.
For their GroupNet plan members, Canada Life is offering a health and wellness site called Health Connected, which has COVID-19 resources, a Health A-Z library, and digital tools to improve wellness and help people keep active.
Additionally, they have also introduced a concierge-styled program called Mental Health Navigator, for those struggling with a mental health issue and looking for an expert assessment and/or help navigating ongoing support.
RBC
RBC is offering free mental health training for people managers, as well as funding for a series of manager mental health training webinars and self-paced e-learning programs. Free virtual therapy is available for plan members as well as eligible dependants.
In addition to this, in places where government funded programs are not available, RBC is funding therapist-assisted online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CarePlus AbilitiCBT) for a limited time for plan members.
Industrial Alliance (iA Financial Group)
iA Financial Group is going to be offering a Mental Health Coaching support service free of charge for a 12-month period starting August 1, 2020 to all clients who have an in-force health insurance plan and active access to My Client Space (iA’s online employee portal).
This service will be automatically removed from the clients’ plan after July 31, 2021, however those wishing to continue using the service will have the option to add it to their plan as part of iA Financial Group’s “Stay Healthy at Work™” product under the Well-Balanced program. This is an a-la-cart service costing $0.75 per employee per month.
Additionally, iA Financial Group has services available through their health and wellness platform (known as “Well-Balanced”) as add-on services with different costs associated, including: Virtual Healthcare via Dialogue, Stay Heathy & Work through Novus Health, and EAP through Homewood.
Blue Cross
Blue cross is offering a variety of services and supports to help get through this difficult time. You can claim for virtual visits with all kinds of practitioner types such as psychologists, psychotherapists, social workers etc. They have also partnered with My Home Rx pharmacy to provide free home delivery of prescription drugs to all Medavie Blue Cross plan members and their families.
Digital Therapy, known as Internet-enabled Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (iCBT) is also available through their Connected Care platform. You can get easy-to-access counselling and education services from a licensed therapist using your computer, tablet or mobile device. Their Digital Therapy service providers have introduced modules specifically to help Canadians manage anxiety related to COVID-19:
Morneau Shepell: Anxiety (Pandemic) module
BEACON: offers a Health Anxiety module
Moreover, the Connected Care platform also helps connecting with a licensed Canadian Physician in minutes for consultation and treatment online. These services are available for all Medavie Blue Cross members for a fee paid directly by the member and eligible under plans with a Health Spending Account.
Members who have an Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) as a part of their plan can also benefit from inConfidence, their EFAP solution, which offers confidential counselling and education to deal with a wide range of work-life challenges. Additionally, their wellness portal, My Good Health, which is also accessible to all Medavie Blue Cross members, allows you to create your own personal profile for customized advice, information and tips on how to be and stay healthy.
Manulife
Manulife is providing support and counselling through Homewood Health™, which is available virtually for employers and their employees 24/7. Another virtual therapy tool being offered is MindBeacon, which is focused specifically on small business owners and their employees.
Furthermore, Manulife’s HealthCare Online provides clients secure access 24/7 to Canadian healthcare professionals for either appointments or treatments through live chat or video consultation.
Sun Life
Sun life is providing online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and pharmacogenomics, which are now available through their Extended Health Care Benefit (EHC). Both are important supports for plan members experiencing a mental health issue, and Sun Life is pleased to announce that effective immediately:
Coverage for online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is now included for all EHC plans.
Pharmacogenomic testing is an optional benefit that you can add to your EHC plan.
Additionally, Lumino Health Virtual Care will also be available to all plan members with Extended Health Care benefits. By adding a monthly cost of $3.49 per employee to any EHC plan, Lumino Health Virtual Care provides plan members access to a virtual “walk-in” service and connection with medical professionals, including nurses, doctors and others.
*Please note that this post will continue to be updated as we receive further information from insurers on their COVID-19 mental health related initiatives
For more information on how you can help your employees and also yourself during these hard and uncertain times, contact us at info@dkcanada.ca or consult with us at www.dkcanada.ca
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