Mental Health Claims: getting lives back on track
Health & Wellbeing -
With around 21% of Australians experiencing a mental health disorder in the past 12 months1, it’s not surprising that at TAL we’re seeing a steady increase in mental health related claims. In fact, since 2018 we’ve seen the number of annual claims double2 for superannuation fund members. In 2022 mental health conditions were by far the largest group of claims we paid.
We spoke with Chris Healey, TAL General Manager Group Claims to get his perspective on the rising number of mental health claims and find out what TAL is doing to help members living with mental health conditions get their lives back on track.
When mental health impacts long-term financial health
While issues with mental health can occur at any age, in a recent study3, people aged 40-59 were significantly less likely than other age groups to report they felt happy, energised, part of a community, or had things to look forward to. “At a time of life when members are established in their careers and in the best position to contribute to their superannuation and boost their retirement options, the risk of poor mental health impacting their financial future can’t be underestimated,” Chris said.
The rise of chronic mental health conditions
“While claims under Income Protection (IP) policies continue to account for the largest percentage of total claims for mental health conditions across TAL’s group insurance portfolio, what’s increasingly concerning is the steady rise in Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) claims,” Chris said. He went on to say that this means that the member has a medically diagnosed mental health condition, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), permanently disabling depression or anxiety, which is so severe that they are permanently unable to work.
This reflects a community-wide issue, with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) reporting that mental health was the second largest contributor (24%) to the number of years of “healthy life” lost due to living with a disability4. While according to a PwC and Beyond Blue report, untreated mental health conditions have a significant negative impact on employers, costing Australian workplaces $10.9 billion per year5.
Getting lives back on track
“We’ve worked hard to continually improve our approach to mental health and along with our in-house recovery and support specialists, we have a wide range of programs to support members to identify and manage challenges to their mental health,” Chris said. “Our aim is to support a member’s recovery where they experience a mental health condition or challenges to their wellbeing following the onset of a physical medical condition.”
Our 2020 Mental Health & Life Insurance White Paper highlighted that the availability of specialised mental health services in Australia were stretched, particularly outside metropolitan areas and as we emerge from the pandemic the situation hasn’t changed. The Government has confirmed it will not be extending the temporary additional 10 psychology session introduced during the pandemic, which might mean that access to extended services may be out of reach for some people.
Services like TAL’s Mental Health Assist, delivered by Teladoc Health, aim to alleviate this by providing members with access to a network of psychiatrists and psychologists through telehealth to ensure their treatment path is appropriate, as well as provide a second opinion service.
“A range of tailored programs are also available with the aim of meeting individual needs and barriers to recovery by establishing a care plan with achievable wellbeing goals. These include programs which cover mental health coaching, wellness action plans and trauma recovery,” Chris said.
Challenging the status quo
To help drive positive change across our product, underwriting and claims processes, TAL’s Mental Health Action Group brings together leading external mental health experts, including medical professionals and those who have lived experience with mental health conditions on a regular basis to test our planned improvements and ensure we stay at the forefront of mental health issues, activities and research.
In-house expertise
TAL’s inhouse Health Services team partners with experts in the health community and enables the continued development of preventative health and claims support initiatives. Led by General Manager Health Services, Dr Priya Chagan, the Health Services team includes a Chief Medical Officer and Head of Mental Health, doctors, accountants, psychologists, and allied health professionals who provide evidence-based expert support within TAL and across our superannuation fund partnerships.
“We’re also proud of an initiative unique to the market, where an on-site specialist psychiatrist provides support to our in-house medical team and can assist with case conferencing, speaking directly with the member’s multidisciplinary team to help ensure treatment plans meet their individual needs,” said Chris.
Get in touch to learn more
Get in touch with your Client Manager if you’d like to learn more about TAL’s approach to mental health and for guidance on starting a conversation on mental health with your members, visit the GroupHQ Health Member Content page.
1 Australian Mental health: Prevalence and impact, AIHW (2022)
2 TAL Group portfolio claims paid for calendar years 2018-2022
3 Mental Health Australia 2022 Report to the Nation
4 Australian Burden of Disease Study: Impact and causes of illness and death in Australia, AIHW (2021)
5 National Mental Health Commission: Creating a mentally healthy workplace