If your company has a truly mobile, flexible workforce, whether full-time or freelancer, then you have a duty of care towards them. Yep, it is that simple. So it makes sense to look into providing 24/7 medical advice and help if the worst happens – regardless of where your employee is working that day; home, office or on the road. Here’s some news in from Norway where a new product is being launched by SafetyWing (www.safetywing.com).
Norwegian-born startup announces the launch of the world’s first truly global health insurance solution for distributed teams; Remote Health.
For the first time, companies will be able to provide comprehensive cover for their entire team, including employees that work remotely, as well as on-site employees who travel on a regular basis, across over 175 countries under a single insurance plan. Provided together with SafetyWing’sinsurance partner Now Health International (www.now-health.com/en/), Remote Health offers cover for businesses of all sizes, from sole traders to startups, and larger teams of over 100 people.
With a transparent and cost-effective pricing structure, prices per person per month for teams of 10 people start from 150 USD, with prices lowering as more employees are added. Companies insured with Remote Health are offered dedicated support from day one, available 24/7 via the website chat.
See the SafetyWing video here;
The rise in globalisation, made possible by digital communication tools and virtually-connected workplaces, has led to a significant increase in companies offering staff flexible and remote work opportunities. In 2019, LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends report indicated a 78% increase in job posts on LinkedIn that mention flexibility and according to Upwork’s third annual ‘Future Workforce Report’, it is estimated that 73% of all companies will have remote workers by 2028.
According to recent data from the Kaiser Family Foundation Employer Health Benefits Survey, nearly half of all Americans get their health insurance through their place of work, yet archaic insurance structures make it costly and difficult to ensure full coverage for team members working remotely, who travel regularly, or are dispersed across different countries.
How Remote Health works
A standard Remote Health plan offers full coverage in 175+ countries and emergency coverage for planned trips up to 30 days in every country in the world.
Employees and contractors can be easily added to (or removed from) a company’s annually renewable insurance plan. Coverage for individual team members can be updated on a month-to-month basis, with the option to adjust plans to include dependents (i.e a spouse or child).
Standard benefits of Remote Health include hospital charges, cancer treatment, reconstructive surgery, emergency ambulances, in-patient surgery, and newborn coverage. Employers may also choose from the following optional add-ons: out-patient and prescriptions, dental, maternity care and wellness benefits.
Remote Health is not available to US residents, but is available for US nationals working remotely overseas.
Sondre Rasch, SafetyWing CEO and co-founder, comments: “As a fully remote team of 12, we are firm believers in the value of distributed workforces and flexible work. People no longer wish to be limited to a physical office or location and thanks to technological advancements, this is no longer a requirement to make a business work.
“My co-founders and I are from Norway and experienced this problem ourselves as remote workers. While social safety nets and insurance are mostly national, remote workers are global. As millions are left to figure this out on their own, many are currently going unprotected.
“We’ve already made a positive difference to the lives of almost 20,000 individuals with Nomad Insurance, and we’re excited to now launch Remote Health, which we are confident will have an even greater impact. SafetyWing is now able to insure entire teams, wherever they are in the world and wherever they move. The launch marks a significant milestone in our journey towards building a global social safety net for the workforce of the future, similar to the one we had home in Norway.”
Alex Dalton, COO at Now Health International comments: “We are very happy to be collaborating with SafetyWing on Remote Health. More and more people desire freedom in their jobs, and there is plenty of technology out there to make remote work viable. Until now, however, insurance has been the missing piece of the puzzle. Remote Health is a unique insurance product with incredible potential to transform the way people work worldwide, and we’re excited to be on board for this journey.”
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