KUALA LUMPUR, August 9 – Mental health digital platform ThoughtFull has entered into a strategic partnership with AIA Malaysia to provide its corporate clients with comprehensive mental health support as part of AIA’s corporate solutions portfolio.
This marks the first collaboration between a mental health platform and an insurance provider within Asia that will enable organizations to support the mental wellbeing of their employees with personalized and timely mental health resources, beyond insurance coverage for mental health conditions. mental health.
Addressing long-standing gaps in mental health coverage in the region
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Covid-19 pandemic caused a 25 percent increase in overall prevalence of anxiety and depression in the first year only.
Despite the growing attention and prioritization of mental health care globally, with 81 percent of employees feeling at risk of burnout this year, A survey by Mercer Marsh Benefits identified a gap between Asian insurers and their global counterparts when it comes to the provision of mental health support, with one in three not providing mental health coverage as part of their plans.
The pandemic has pushed employee wellness to the forefront of employer agendas, with 49 percent of companies implementing changes to their wellness programs in 2020. according to a study by Willis Towers Watson.
However, a gap currently persists in the region with the lack of adequate mental health coverage.
Under this partnership, AIA, one of Malaysia’s largest employee benefits providers, will integrate ThoughtFull’s comprehensive mental health care capabilities into its corporate solutions portfolio.
Together, ThoughtFull and AIA will bring better stress, anxiety and depression management to corporate policyholders and their employees, opening new avenues for users to proactively engage with their mental health.
“Physical health and illness have traditionally been widely covered by insurance, but the same cannot be said for mental health and illness in this region. This coverage gap and consequently the inherent costs of seeking mental health and wellness services have been a barrier to access for many,” said Joan Low, Founder and CEO of ThoughtFull.
“ThoughtFull is thrilled to partner with AIA, which has always been at the forefront of innovation, to address these mental health coverage gaps in the region and make comprehensive care even more accessible to all,” added Low.
With evidence-based frameworks that focus on the spectrum of preventative crisis support, the partnership will build on ThoughtFull’s existing expertise in organizational wellness. ThoughtFull will provide continuous access to end-to-end digital mental health support, facilitating mental health care anytime, anywhere.
“We have long been advocates for the importance of mental health in the workplace and believe it should be given as much priority as physical health. That is why we are very excited to partner with ThoughtFull to bring new and innovative mental health services to our corporate clients and their employees, under our WorkWell with AIA proposition,” said Tung Hsiao Ley, Director of Corporate Solutions at AIA Bhd.
“Our decision to work with ThoughtFull was an easy one. Having experienced their services ourselves since the start of the pandemic, we saw firsthand the benefits they had brought to our own employees through their genuine and ongoing approach. As one of the largest providers of employee benefits in the country, we are optimistic about the positive change this partnership will bring to our ongoing efforts to enable a healthier, happier and more productive workforce in Malaysia,” added Tung.
