October 17, 2024 Newswires

MassMutual Becomes First U.S. Insurer to Offer Policyowners Free Access to AI-Guided Mental Health Support

Business Wire

Free access to Wysa Assure available to eligible MassMutual policyowners

Company Also Expands Availability of Other Health and Wellness Program Tools and Offerings to Help More Policyowners Better Understand and Protect their Health

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. & BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
MassMutual today announced it is the first insurer in the U.S. to offer eligible policyowners free access to Wysa Assure, an AI-powered conversational mental health app created by Wysa and Swiss Re. This offering is the latest addition to MassMutual’s Health and Wellness Program, which provides policyowners with knowledge about their health, empowers them to seek out appropriate interventions and motivates healthy behaviors and lifestyles.

Data shows that more than one in five U.S. adults live with a mental illness.¹ Wysa Assure makes every day mental health support accessible through its clinically validated, AI-guided chat support, available 24/7. In addition to a free subscription, eligible policyowners get access to more than 150 evidence-based tools to address day-to-day challenges like anxiety, motivation, stress, sleep, and productivity. Another notable feature includes a well-being score to help users stay focused on their mental and emotional health.

“At MassMutual, we recognize the interconnectedness of mental and physical health and how both can influence our policyowners’ longevity,” said Sears Merritt, head of Enterprise Technology and Experience at MassMutual. “That’s why we are expanding our Health and Wellness Program to include mental health support, complementing our current offerings that focus on identifying potential health risks and rewarding healthy behaviors. By improving access to mental health support and continuing to invest in our policyowners’ well-being, we hope to help them better understand their overall health and take steps toward a happier, healthier, and longer life.”

MassMutual’s Health and Wellness Program has expanded significantly over the past year. Most recently, MassMutual broadened its partnership with GRAIL, building on its initial pilot where eligible policyowners were provided with access to GRAIL’s Galleri^® multi-cancer early detection test. The first phase of the GRAIL program generated tremendous early interest, with more than 2,200 policyowners ordering the test in 2023. Following the program’s recent expansion, more than 10,000 policyowners are expected to participate in the program by the end of this year. To date, many individuals have received information from the test that has allowed them to better understand and protect their health, and 96% of those participating have indicated a positive overall experience with their testing.

Earlier this year, MassMutual also announced its expanded partnership with Genomics plc and expanded the availability of the MassMutual Wellness-Enhanced Lifestyle & Longevity (WELL) Rider offering to certain current term life policyowners in addition to new term life policyowners.

The MassMutual Health and Wellness Program employs a test-and-learn approach, with the development of the platform guided by policyowner interest and other learnings. Participation in MassMutual Health and Wellness Program initiatives is voluntary for policyowners. Results do not impact policyowners’ current policies or premiums. MassMutual only receives high-level, anonymized data from the Genomics, GRAIL and Wysa offerings and leverages policyowner information strictly to facilitate providing benefits associated with using the LivingWELL by MassMutual app. Anonymized, aggregate data allows the company to better understand policyowners’ health and behaviors as well as their interest in these types of offerings. Eligibility is based on factors including age, geography, and type of individual MassMutual policy.

¹National Institute of Mental Health

About MassMutual

MassMutual is a leading mutual life insurance company that is run for the benefit of its members and participating policyowners. Founded in 1851, the company has been continually guided by one consistent purpose: we help people secure their future and protect the ones they love. With a focus on delivering long-term value, MassMutual offers a wide range of protection, accumulation, wealth management and retirement products and services. For more information, visit www.massmutual.com.

About Wysa

Wysa is a global leader in AI-driven mental health support, available to individuals, through employers, insurers and healthcare services. Wysa supports individuals with the help of an “emotionally intelligent” conversational agent which guides users through evidence-based cognitive-behavioral techniques (CBT) and brief interventions to help build mental resilience skills. For healthcare, Wysa offers an end-to-end solution for patients and providers which can triage and deliver the first level of care.

Currently, Wysa has facilitated over 550 million conversations with 6 million users in 95 countries. Wysa’s 50+ clients and partners include Travelers Insurance, the National Health Services (UK), Ministry of Health in Singapore, Swiss Re, L’Oreal, Bosch, Colgate-Palmolive, Aetna International, and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

About Swiss Re

The Swiss Re Group is one of the world's leading providers of reinsurance, insurance and other forms of insurance-based risk transfer, working to make the world more resilient. It anticipates and manages risk – from natural catastrophes to climate change, from ageing populations to cybercrime. The aim of the Swiss Re Group is to enable society to thrive and progress, creating new opportunities and solutions for its clients. Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, where it was founded in 1863, the Swiss Re Group operates through a network of around 80 offices globally.

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