TAL Health Sense Plus program encourages customers to embrace preventative health

Leading Australian life insurer, TAL, has reported encouraging results from the first full year of its Health Sense Plus program, which educates and incentivises customers to engage with their own preventative health.

Launched in 2019, the TAL Health Sense Plus program, which is aligned with preventative screening recommendations from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), rewards advised life insurance customers who undertake preventative screening tests with a discount off their lump-sum policy premiums every two years.

Preventative screening tests include any health examinations aimed at identifying and reducing the risk of future health conditions.

In a year when research¹ shows over a third of financial services consumers have delayed at least one preventative screening test due to safety concerns about visiting health clinics during COVID-19, as well as lockdown restrictions, TAL is encouraging more of its customers to participate in the program to support their health.

TAL reports that more than 1 in 4 advised customers were motivated to undertake a preventative screening test during the last year, with 95% of those indicating they intend to continue with preventative testing as part of their ongoing health management.

TAL General Manager, Health Services, Dr Priya Chagan, said, “In a year characterised by the global pandemic, we are pleased with the positive response to our Health Sense Plus program, and to see the uptake of preventative screening tests, particularly against a backdrop of disruption to people’s usual engagement with their GP.

“Now more than ever, it’s vital that people continue to have preventative screening tests in order to proactively manage their health. 

"We know one reason Australians are failing to get preventative tests is due to confusion around which are most relevant for them, so we have aligned with the medical community and we’re educating customers on the value of managing health through prevention.

"All of the tests in TAL’s Health Sense Plus program have been recommended by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), which provides guidelines on the preventative screening tests people should get, based on their age, gender and individual underlying risks,” said Dr Chagan.

Australians can also access Medicare subsidised telehealth and pathology services, which were introduced by the Government earlier this year.

Niall McConville, TAL General Manager, Retail Distribution, added, “TAL’s Health Sense Plus program is one of the ways we are investing in customer health and are helping advisers have more holistic conversations with their customers about their health.

"Given the high customer engagement we’ve seen so far with the TAL Health Sense Plus program, this could be a real point of difference for advisers.”

TAL Health Sense Plus is available to TAL customers who hold Accelerated Protection policies through a financial adviser.

Learn more about TAL's Health Sense Plus Program.

1. Research conducted by Fiftyfive5 Pty Ltd, Covid-19 Consumer Impact Monitor, 506 Australian Financial Services Consumers aged 18 – 79, surveyed 7th to 27th of September 2020.