Medicash celebrates double contract win success

Liverpool based healthcare cash plan provider Medicash is showing no signs of a slowdown during the credit crunch after winning two significant new contracts.

The Big Lottery Fund and container shipping company CMA CGM have recently signed up Medicash as sole provider of healthcare benefits for all their employees.

The Big Lottery (BIG) is responsible for administering a fund of £600million raised by the lottery which goes to community groups and to projects that improve health, education and the environment. It is one of the largest organisations of its kind in the UK and has 950 employees. BIG signed up to Medicash following a comprehensive review of potential healthcare providers.

Jasvier Boyal, director of HR at BIG said, "The flexibility of the Medicash plan meets the different needs of our staff and proves that comprehensive healthcare for employees needn't be prohibitively expensive. Feedback from staff has been extremely positive with the health screening service being particularly well received. This, coupled with Medicash's ability to process claims quickly means we are delighted with the plan."

CMA CGM is a shipping company with 388 employees whose business is split over a number of sites in Liverpool, London, Glasgow, Birmingham, Hull, Southampton and Tilbury.

According to Liz Dowd, UK Group HR Manager at CMA: "The Medicash plan puts health and wellbeing at the forefront of our employee benefits package and helps attract employees looking for differentiation and a company that genuinely cares about their employees health."

The Medicash wins reflect a trend recently reported by industry analyst Laing and Buisson who revealed that 2007 saw a 27% growth in company paid healthcare cash plans.*

Chief executive of Medicash Sue Weir said, "In times where households are tightening their belts regular dental and optical check-ups can be one of the first things to fall by the wayside.

"Healthcare cash plans provide a cost effective way for employers to support workforce wellbeing and by encouraging employees to develop a preventative approach to their health employers ultimately benefit from reduced sickness absenteeism."

*Source: Laing & Buisson Health and Care Cover - UK Market Report 2008