At Equipsme, we specialise in insuring the uninsured – the estimated 80% of the UK workforce who don’t have private medical insurance.
That includes people who work for large and complicated organisations with multiple sites, and jobs on shop floors, in quarries and laboratories, out in the field or out on the road.
Here’s 5 things we’ve learned along the way, for HR leaders to consider.
1. Opt-out can work better than Opt-in
Getting a dispersed workforce to engage with any health initiative can be a challenge, and expecting them to take action and sign up to something unfamiliar - especially during a specific benefits window - can be a difficult task.
It’s even harder with workforces who haven’t had private health insurance before, and aren’t familiar with how it works or why and when they might turn to it instead of the NHS.
On the other hand, gifting people a benefit and then explaining its value and how to use it can be a really effective way to engage staff in their own health. The call to action becomes about using something that’s there and theirs for the taking. It can be the focus or solution to wider wellbeing conversations – targeting the key health issues employees are facing.
2. Flexibility is key
All organisations are different, which means flexibility is key.
Some choose to buy cover based on length of service, or have a mixture of cover levels depending on role risk or seniority. Some use a benefits platform, or require their own landing page interface. Others buy our plans alongside existing cash plans or mental health services - or choose Equipsme’s Dental and Optical or Stress Support EAP extras alongside the core plan features.
We work with HR and rewards teams to tailor our plans and communications to each organisation - so Equipsme works for YOUR workforce.
3. Family cover is surprisingly popular
We believe Equipsme is the only health insurance plan that allows individuals to pay-in themselves to add their family, rather than their employer picking up the admin of clawing that part of the cost back themselves.
Take-up levels are typically between 10-15%, but we’ve recently seen some organisations with 20-25% buy-ups.
The feedback is that people like having health back-up, they like the fact they don’t have to pay P11D on it - and they want to share it with their loved ones if they can.
4. Not everyone is online
People who work out in the field or on the road aren’t sat in front of a computer – and might not have regular internet access or the digital skills or confidence to use online platforms.
At Equipsme we’ve got marketing and outreach solutions to help organisations reach these employees, explaining how Equipsme plans work and how to access our benefits by phone.
5. Communication is everything
Getting the message out and engaging with teams about Equipsme and about their health is absolutely vital.
We work with organisations to make sure we’re spreading the word together, making everything as clear and transparent as possible - and answering questions and queries as they arise. We do webinars and roadshows introducing our plans, chatting to employees about how to use them, what is and isn’t covered, and we provide marketing support in the form of intranet articles, copy, posters and leaflets.
What’s more, we don’t just do all that at the point of purchase. We can continue to support organisations throughout the lifecycle of their plan to encourage take-up, use and understanding.
Talk to us
If you’d like to talk to us about how we can help your business continue to spread the word ahead of your next renewal and really make the most of your Equipsme plan, contact our business development team – [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected]
Article created: October 2025
