Laya Healthcare to Redirect Claim Cost Savings Back to Members

A Message from Dónal Clancy, Managing Director of laya healthcare

Today, I’m writing to share details regarding our plans to redirect claim cost savings back to our almost 600,000 members and how we are significantly increasing the essential healthcare benefits and services our members can access remotely during this challenging time.

Redirecting Claim Cost Savings as a benefit to Our Members

First things first, we’re putting money back in our members’ pockets.

We plan to redirect a claim cost savings in the form of a benefit to the amount of €195 for every adult member and €60 for every child member. For a family of 2 adults + 2 children, that’s a total of €510.

The total will be split into three equal instalments and paid over three months - April to June 2020 –which is the estimated period of time that our hospitals will be re-organised in response to Covid-19. We will pay the first instalment by the 30th of April 2020. Members must have a current active policy on the 1st of each month – April, May, June – to qualify for the monthly instalment.

If a member’s employer pays for their health insurance, we will distribute a payment directly to the employee and a separate payment will be made to the employer. Companies have different arrangements with their employees – some pay for cover in full, others make a part-contribution, so exact details will be communicated to these members and their employers directly to reflect their individual circumstances.

If hospitals return to normal before the end of June, we’ll need to revise the monthly instalment accordingly.

Providing greater access to essential healthcare benefits & services

The rate at which things are changing feels relentless in recent weeks, but what has stayed constant is how our members rely on us for their everyday healthcare needs. We’ve seen a 113% increase in the use of our video and telephone GP consultation services in the past month.[i]

In response, we’re increasing our team of GPs and Physios that are available to our members and removing existing restrictions at no additional cost for three months so members can access key benefits and services remotely when they need them. While fair usage applies, we will provide:

Unrestricted access for all members for 3 months to video consultations with GPs and Physios
Unrestricted access to 1:1 video consultations with Health & Wellbeing experts covering parenting, financial and nutrition advice
Unrestricted access to Healthcoach video consultations for members aged 18+. More people are at home with their movements restricted which makes keeping fit and healthy a real challenge. To help, we’re bringing our team of Health & Wellbeing experts to them at home, providing video consultations and tailored health and fitness plans that members can safely do indoors or within 2km of where they live
We will pay the full cost for members to access urgent care consultations and treatment for minor injuries in Laya Health & Wellbeing Clinics. Clinic Doctors in our Health & Wellbeing Clinics are also providing video consultations for non-Covid-19 related minor illnesses including upset stomach, kidney infections, skin and eye issues
Unrestricted access to our Laya Healthcare Concierge service for 3 months for every member – for more click here
Unrestricted access to specialist clinical remote monitoring of members aged 18+ with Covid-19 symptoms

Value in maintaining health cover

We know these are uncertain times and we hope this update goes some way to help. I would remind members of the significant value their existing health cover provides. Our members are still getting sick with non-Covid-19 related illnesses and injuries. Public hospitals - including acute hospitals, maternity hospitals, children hospitals and private psychiatric hospitals - continue to treat patients privately for non-Covid-19 related illnesses and we are continuing to pay those claims as we normally would.

If admitted to a public hospital for a non-Covid-19 related illness, our members will still be charged €813 a night if they choose to be admitted as a private patient or €80 a night up to a maximum of €800 if they choose to be treated as a public patient – the statutory charge of €80 a night applies to both public and private hospitals. Laya healthcare fully covers this cost whatever our member decides.

Quick access to diagnostics tests and scans including MRI, CT and X-Ray is one of the main reasons our members take out private health cover. They can still continue to access a nationwide network of private scan centres which are operating as normal right now.

For a full list of benefits and services we offer go to .

Our team is busy at this time answering urgent calls so I’d ask our members to refer to our website layahealthcare.ie for more information and to understand terms that may affect their eligibility.

We will be in touch directly with members to confirm details on the redirected claim cost savings paid as a benefit. This will be returned in the same way we’d pay an everyday medical claim with the first instalment paid by the 30th April 2020.

Looking After You Always

Rest assured I, and the entire laya healthcare team, will continue to step up and play our part in the weeks and months ahead to join the collective national effort of supporting our community.

Let’s stay in touch. Let’s look after ourselves and those we love.

Looking After You Always,

Dónal Clancy

Your Insurance is provided by Elips Insurance Limited (Inc. Liechtenstein) trading as Laya Healthcare. Laya Healthcare Limited, trading as Laya Healthcare and Laya Life, is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Laya Healthcare Limited acts as an agent for healthcare products for Elips Insurance Limited and is a private company limited by shares registered in Ireland, No 242048. The registered office of Laya Healthcare Limited is Eastgate Road, Eastgate Business Park, Little Island, Co. Cork, T45 E181

Summary of our Covid-19 Benefits

Continue to access private services in public hospitals - Surgeries and other essential non Covid-19 treatments are still going ahead in hospitals
Access to private diagnostic scans and tests – MRI, CT, X-Ray
Laya healthcare will pay statutory bed charge in public hospitals of €80, or €813 a night if our member chooses to be admitted as a private patient
Access private addiction and private psychiatric hospitals as normal
Unrestricted Access to full suite of laya healthcare benefits –GPLive, GPLine & Nurseline and Healthcoach video consultations
Access 3 private urgent care centres for minor injuries –Laya Health & Wellbeing Clinics, Affidea Express Care in Tallaght
Our Customer Care service remains Business As Usual – Calls, Members Area, WebChat all operating as normal
Access our dedicated Covid-19 information hub– expert led Health & Wellbeing advice to help members get through Covid-19

Notes to Editor

Specialist remote monitoring of Covid-19 symptoms: Laya healthcare will pay for members to access an app-based service that provides Remote Monitoring for Covid-19. This innovative technology, created by our healthcare partner Centric Health is run by healthcare professionals and offers remote diagnosis, clinical assessment and ongoing monitoring of those with Covid-19 symptoms from the comfort of their home. It’s additional peace of mind when they need it most and another way we’re looking after them always.

How can our Laya Healthcare Concierge team help? Our Healthcare Concierge service is made up of a dedicated clinical team of healthcare professionals who can answer any health-related question you might have at this uncertain time e.g. how can I recover at home from an illness?, how can I care for a vulnerable loved one?, how can I access a GP?, what if I have symptoms of Covid-19?, and so on. Our team is now available to all members, by call or email, to help them navigate a health system that’s readjusting to extraordinary circumstances in the next few months.

[i] Laya Healthcare Service Utilisation of GPLive, GPLine and NurseLine, March Vs February 2020 Communication