Member Spotlight: Communication, Insurance, and Utility Companies During COVID-19

July 14, 2020

WRITTEN BY STEPHANIE EGGERS, FELLOW

A Better City members continue to step up during these challenging times to help keep

UTILITIES, COMMUNICATIONS, & INSURANCE

BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF MA

COMCAST

CONVENTURES

DENTERLEIN WORLDWIDE

LIBERTY MUTUAL INSURANCE

MANULIFE

METLIFE

NATIONAL GRID

VERIZON

VICINITY ENERGY

businesses and individuals afloat through the economic shutdown. Communication, insurance, and utility companies have a responsibility to maintain essential services for customers during hardship, even through the economic downturn, and have fulfilled their duties to help those in need during this time. Their actions are also supporting a united relief effort within the community and provide essential services to those in need. This week’s spotlight focuses on the work of communication, insurance, and utility companies in the A Better City Community that are actively engaged in providing the community and clients with essential services while understanding the economic impact of the pandemic on individuals.

PUTTING COMMUNITY FIRST

Our members recognize the unique opportunities they have to make a positive impact in the community during the fight against COVID-19 to give provide financial assistance to community organizations and those that are most vulnerable. Furthermore, these companies are doing their best to provide essential services to those in need free of charge if possible to ensure equity for those most affected by shutdowns caused by COVID-19.

Blue Cross Blue Shield donated $100,000 to the Boston Resiliency Fund, $50,000 to organizations with who Blue Cross Blue Shield canceled volunteer projects with beginning in March, and through July has committed almost $10 million in pro-bono work or financial support to non-profit partners across MA including Project Bread, Horizons for Homeless Children, Cradles to Crayons, and the Greater Boston Food Bank.ⁱ During the peak of the outbreak in MA, they had deployed 15 registered nurses and behavioral health clinicians to support recovering patients at the Boston Hope field hospital.ⁱⁱ
Comcast expanded their Xfinity hotspots to be free to use for everyone, not just clientsⁱⁱⁱ, while Verizon has partnered with Los Angeles Unified School District, who plans on continuing remote learning in the Fall, to provide internet to families in the district who otherwise could not afford it for free.^iv
Manulife donated $1 million to ensure Canadian communities in need have continued access to food and other necessities, helping the most vulnerable and immediately impacted by the pandemic shutdowns.^v
Metlife donated $25 million in grants to support COVID-19 global relief efforts for people with urgent food, healthcare, and financial needs. They also donated stocks of face masks, hand sanitizer, and disinfecting wipes to those in need.^vi

ADAPTING OPERATIONS TO PROTECT EMPLOYEES AND CLIENTS DURING COVID-19

Despite physical distancing protections and business shutdowns bringing financial hardship to several clients serviced by our members, communication, insurance, and utility companies have adopted policies to keep their employees and clients safe while alleviating stress and concern over the economic impacts of the pandemic.

Blue Cross Blue Shield has transitioned to virtual medical services where applicable. They have also waived the member cost share for COVID-19 testing and treatment while making it easier for clients to get tested by removing authorizations and referrals to accelerate appropriate treatment. To help clients through these difficult times, they have waived member co-pays, co-insurance, and deductibles for all mental health services by video or phone with in-network providers for the duration of the health emergency in Massachusetts.^vii
Comcast, Liberty Mutual, and Verizon have all temporarily stopped disconnection of services or late fees for those that are unable to pay their bill on time. Comcast has also started providing internet essentials for new customers free of charge instead of the usual $9.95 fee.^viii Verizon has extended its low-income internet offer through the end of 2020 and has transitioned clients impacted by COVID-19 to a continued financial assistance program through the end of the year to aid in repayment.^ixLiberty Mutual launched a Personal Auto Customer Relief program that provided a 15% refund on 2 months of auto premium for customers.^x
While Liberty Mutual paused in-home damage inspections and adopted online options for insurance issues, National Grid has continued to deploy field employees for necessary service issues with strict guidelines in place. Employees must maintain 6 feet of distance from others while working in a household or business, wear a face covering, and wear gloves. They have seized travel between offices and facilities except for essential operation activities and adopted increased disinfection practices at facilities to keep employees safe.^xi
Conventures has explored ways they can help partners conduct successful virtual events to keep clients connected in the era of physical distancing.^xii
Vicinity Energy has kept sites open to keep service and supply for customers up with the proper safeguards in place. They have prioritized service for essential industries like hospitals, medical facilities, and labs so there is no power disruption while they work on the frontline of the pandemic.^xiii

PLANS FOR REOPENING

Although physical distancing will be apart of our world for the foreseeable future, our members are using their expertise to consider how workplaces can safely reopen and ensure employees will feel safe returning to the workplace.

Denterlein Worldwide has published an online resource that outlines the necessary points of concern and communication for businesses and employees as they seek to reopen the workplace in the coming months. They include guidance on what the true purpose is of these missions, safety protocols that businesses must adopt for shared places and high touchpoints in the office, the efficiency of returning to the office including resuming commuting, and the process of rolling out office protocol and a phased approach.^xiv

We see our member communication, insurance, and utility companies using their place in the community to provide essential resources to members of the community, contribute to relief efforts, and provide financial alleviation to those most impacted by COVID-19. They are using their technology to provide those in need with the required connectivity to continue work and school in a remote setting for the foreseeable future. In the coming months, as the pandemic progresses in Massachusetts and organizations explore how to resume in person operations, they will rely on expert guidance and advice from organizations like Denterlein to safely do this for employees and the community.