Health screening tests are good but do they save money? Expat insurer InterGlobal claims to be the first among UK providers to provide health checks as an integral part of cover. Paul Weigall, its sales and marketing director, said the benefit, introduced in 2005, had a clear advantage for individual policyholders. And it helped corporate customers keep an eye on the health of its workforce and manage sickness absenteeism. He said: "If a customer stayed with us for a long period we'd be convinced we would save money because we are identifying potential illness. People will seek treatment at a much earlier time than if they waited until their symptoms became obvious. If a customer is staying with us three years or more - which is the sort of time for an average expat contract - we would expect overall that it would save money; but it's impossible to put numbers on it. Mr Weigall reckons the wellness benefit - available on InterGlobal's two top plans and capped low at US$500 a year - adds "only two or three per cent to the premium." Market leader Bupa International picked up on the wellness trend for expats four years after InterGlobal, although Bupa UK has been active in prevention services for decades. But it has not gone for half measures. Services under its prevention programme - dubbed Wellbeing - include full health screening, including: breast, cervical, prostate and colon; bone density scans; consultations with a dietician; vaccinations and immunisations; dental checks and hygienist work; orthodontics; eye tests plus prescription glasses and contact lenses. The benefit has an annual cap of £5,000, or €6,250 or US$8,500. To give an idea of price, a 48-year-old individual living in Spain with Bupa's Worldwide cover (excluding USA) would pay £1,029 a year for Worldwide Wellbeing on top of the core premium of £2,2255. Some 17 per cent of individual buyers of Bupa's Worldwide Options take up the benefit. A spokesman said: "While this makes up a relatively small amount of our total international membership there are also many small and medium company clients and corporate businesses buying Wellbeing-style benefits such as vaccinations, screening and health checks from our company suite of products." But proof that widespread prevention measures are cost-effective remains elusive. The spokesman said: "These benefits are clearly valued by individual and company customers, however it is difficult to specifically show a direct correlation to improved health outcomes at this early stage." ExpaCare takes a more positive view. The insurer says policyholders buying its wellness benefit are healthier. Beverly Cook, managing director, said: "Our data reveals those who have wellness checks included in their policy actually make fewer claims. But while we would like to say increased emphasis on wellbeing is actually effecting real change, this is not something we can analyse. What we can take from the data is that incorporating wellbeing checks into a policy makes users more aware of certain conditions and can result in undiagnosed conditions being identified early - which can only be good news. Ms Cook added that cost could deter businesses from giving prevention cover. But with more and more policies offering wellness checks as part of a plan, it's clear they can have positive effects on an employee's health. This results in fewer claims and less absence which is a clear win for both business and the policyholder. We can't say for sure the wellness element of the plan is the deciding factor in policy selection, but it is certainly becoming an increasingly attractive option. ExpaCare launched its optional wellness benefit in 2007 and 37 per cent of clients now buy it. The benefit is available only under the provider's Specialcare plan and only after two years' continuous cover. The usual items are included - tests on liver, lung, prostate and digestive system. Other features include chest X-ray, ECG, Aids, tumour markers and diabetes check. Insurer William Russell introduced a wellbeing benefit as part of its core plans four years ago. The usual tests are provided annually, after a year's waiting period. Annual cash limits apply - US$250 on the company's Silver plan; $400 on Gold and $550 on Platinum, which also includes vaccinations. Sam Cooper, the company's business development manager, believes the jury is out on whether checks save money. "But there can be little doubt that vaccinations do prevent disease and reduce claims," he added. The value of prevention looks set for continued debate. But one consequence of wellness schemes is that your medical insurer is becoming a health care provider too.