Smart Health filling families’ daily wellbeing needs

LONDON – Monday 11th March 2024 – AIG Life Limited has today revealed customers and members of its protection insurance plans are increasingly turning to its free added-value service Smart Health to get the day-to-day immediate wellbeing help whole families need.

Usage data of Smart Health, the UK life insurer’s on-demand virtual healthcare service, shows it’s been used over 100,000 times since its launch¹. A third of this usage was in 2023 alone².

In more detail, AIG’s data suggests whole families are using it as an essential tool to manage their immediate preventative health and wellbeing needs from the comfort of their homes. Instead of needing to wait for help from and visit their local GP practice or local NHS services.

One in eight Smart Health users (12.5%) who have made good use of its services did so to benefit children and young people under 18².

While it’s individuals who are directly insured by AIG, either through the protection insurance they bought themselves or because their employer provides access through a group protection scheme, the knock-on benefit is partners or children who are not insured by AIG also have access to the services are also improving their health.

People have consistently turned to it to supplement their health and wellbeing needs too as two in five people (40%) used it three or more times in 2023².

Fitting wellbeing into daily life

Data suggests Smart Health’s six core integrated wellbeing services – which seamlessly refer from one to another and are accessible by all of AIG customers – are being used when convenient to family life.

Virtual GP appointments, taking place by phone or video call, were the most popular service and made up two-thirds (67%) of Smart Health’s use in 2023. Almost one in five (19%) of these took place at the weekend – meaning families didn’t immediately need to turn to NHS urgent care centres².

Nearly half (43%) of GP call requests in December³ were also outside typical working hours (9am to 5pm) too , indicating it’s helpful to shift workers, individuals who don’t want to disrupt their working day or people who may be struggling to get a local GP practice appointment.

Its popularity may be also be because GP appointments are the most common way people access next stage health support. In December, 41% of people attending a Smart Health GP appointment also got either a prescription, a sick note or a referral to a medical specialist⁴.

A survey of 4150 individuals who have used the service found the majority of people (55%) who used the virtual GP service were also able to stay at home, instead of needing to see their GP, in turn easing pressure on the NHS⁵. The survey of Smart Health users was conducted by Teladoc Health UK, which provides Smart Health’s services to AIG Life’s customers.

Knowing quickly what action they should take next was one of the immediate benefits for people’s health outcomes, according to the survey. Where individuals needed further assistance:

14% said they used their Smart Health GP appointment to get a referral with a specialist,
7% then visited A&E, and
24% said they then booked an appointment with their own GP.

The same survey found if patients hadn’t turned to the UK-registered GPs available through Smart Health, almost one in five (19%) would have waited until symptoms got worse before they asked for help.

The service helped people return to work sooner too:

Over half (53%) said their remote appointment meant they didn’t have to take time off work.
32% who were absent from work said they were able to get through their illness swifter following a phone or video consultation with a Smart Health GP.

Commenting the findings, Alison Esson, Senior Propositions Manager at AIG Life, said: “When a person is affected by ill-health, in reality it impacts their whole life balance, including their family and their job, so it makes sense that they’re increasingly turning to on-demand services like Smart Health. That Smart Health is being used by the whole family, and how it’s used, shows families want to move quickly to get health matters under control and to restore family equilibrium. They value the convenience.”

Helping the wider family

One in six (16%) of all Smart Health GP appointments in 2023 were used for young people, thanks to the insurance their parent or adult had². Nearly one in 10 (9%) of the children getting immediate help through a Smart Health GP were aged five or less.

It’s not just the GP service that’s helped them. Smart Health’s other services including mental health counselling – provided remotely and in the safety of the young person’s home – and even second medical opinions made up 11% of the services used by young people².

The expert medical opinion (EMO) service – which can be used by individuals (including children) to check their diagnosis, or treatment – made an important impact on people’s lives. A review of their case by a global expert led 23% to receive a change in diagnosis last year, and 31% had a change in treatment².

Among EMO service users, 13% were children. Although it’s on the recovery of critical illness claimants in particular where the EMO can make a difference. They have access to it for up to three years after they’ve claimed.

Commenting, Esson added: “I implore the industry to share what we’ve learned from Smart Health’s impact so far to remind customers and employee scheme members of the whole family healthcare they have. Knowing you can access on-demand support – whether it’s a GP appointment, mental health counselling or even a second medical opinion – gives families a sense of control, gets them next stage healthcare support or helps them understand the situation they’re in. Removing worries and restoring peace of mind, just as protection insurance is designed to do.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

¹ Smart Health usage data compiled by Teladoc Health UK 27 August 2019 to 14 February 2024

² Smart Health usage data compiled by Teladoc Health UK between 1 Jan 2023 and 31 December 2023

³ Smart Health data compiled by Teladoc Health UK for GP call requests made between 5pm and 9am from 1-31 December 2023

⁴ Smart Health data compiled by Teladoc Health UK on outcome of GP call appointments 1-31 December 2023

⁵Smart Health data compiled by Teladoc Health UK from 4154 returned patient surveys to 31 Dec 2023

AIG Life is the UK life insurance arm of Corebridge Financial, formerly AIG Life and Retirement.

Smart Health was launched in 2019 to give all of AIG’s new and existing group protection scheme members and customers, plus their families, free telehealth support as part of the insurance they buy across six services:

24/7 unlimited access to phone and video appointments with UK-registered GPs and from anywhere in the world
mental health consultations with psychologists
second medical opinions from the 50,000 global specialists
nutritionist and fitness plans
online health checks.

AIG’s Smart Health gives customers, employees, and their immediate families (including children up to the age of 21) 24/7 unlimited access to a team of health and wellbeing experts, wherever they are in the world.

This digital support service is available to all new and existing AIG Life customers and employees under its group protection policies, as part of their protection insurance with AIG Life.

Smart Health by AIG Life is provided by Teladoc Health UK Ltd at no additional cost to AIG Life customers and insured employees under its group protection policies. Teladoc Health UK Ltd is part of Teladoc Health Group, which is a global telehealth provider using telephone and videoconferencing technology to provide on-demand remote medical care via mobile devices, the internet, video, and phone. They operate in 130 countries and deliver their services in more than 30 languages.

About Corebridge Financial

Corebridge Financial (NYSE: CRBG) makes it possible for more people to take action in their financial lives. With more than $375 billion in assets under management and administration as of June 30, 2023, Corebridge is one of the largest providers of retirement solutions and insurance products in the United States. We proudly partner with financial professionals and institutions to help individuals plan, save for and achieve secure financial futures. For more information, visit corebridgefinancial.com and follow us on LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook and X (formerly known as Twitter).

About AIG Life

Additional information about AIG can be found at www.aiglife.co.uk | X (formerly known as Twitter): @AIGLifeUK | LinkedIn. These references with additional information about AIG Life have been provided as a convenience, and the information contained on such websites is not incorporated by reference into this press release.