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Zurich partners with Further to offer serious illness diagnosis and treatment
Insurance provider Zurich has teamed up with insurtech firm Further to offer investigation and treatment services for serious conditions.
The ‘Accelerate’ service will include cancer, heart conditions, neurological conditions and cover for treatment abroad at select hospitals.
Clients will gain access to virtual consultations, private diagnostic tests, cover for precision cancer medicine, global treatment, second medical opinions, and support with cancer clinical trials in the UK and abroad.
The service can be added to any new Zurich life, critical illness or income protection policy at the point of sale or at any point during the life of the policy. It can also be cancelled at any time.
This has been designed to give policyholders more choice and control when it comes to their healthcare.
The Zurich Accelerate service can also give people access to the latest cancer medicine and cancer clinical trials.
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Customers can be flexible with how they use each of the services within Accelerate and combine them with public or private healthcare.
Zurich said it is not intended to replace either public or private healthcare, just complement it. It also provides an alternative option that should be followed up by a policyholder’s GP.
‘Comprehensive solution’
Sam Wells, head of proposition innovation at Zurich, said: “From my own personal experience, I have seen the challenges that you face when dealing with a cancer diagnosis and how important it is to be supported through a complex journey that can last years, spanning investigations, diagnosis, and treatment. Each service available with Accelerate has been designed around the experience my family had to provide our customers with fast access, choice, and control, through a complete service rather than a piecemeal solution.”
Customers who access the service will be guided through the entire process by a dedicated, clinically trained case manager. Policyholders’ children will also be automatically covered from birth up to their 22nd birthday.
Louise Colley (pictured), director of retail protection at Zurich Insurance, said: “Serious illnesses have been on the rise over the last decade, with a 50% increase in heart disease and one in two people receiving a cancer diagnosis during their lifetime.
“Accelerate provides a suite of options to those suffering symptoms by allowing them access to fast diagnoses and giving them access to leading treatment as quickly as possible. We’re incredibly proud that this new offering fills a gap in the market, with a comprehensive solution covering investigation, diagnosis, and treatment.”
In August last year, Zurich enhanced its critical illness cover.