ANDOVER, England, September 4 /PRNewswire/ --     Latest research released by Healthplan provider HSA reveals
that employers could be helping to improve the future health of the UK. The
annual benchmark survey has found that in the next 5-10 years, 67% of
companies are likely to invest in one or more elements of healthcare, and 80%
believe their duty of care responsibilities will increase. With 20.08 million
people employed in the UK, has the workplace potentially become healthier?

These are just a few of the findings of HSA's "Is the UK
looking at a healthy future?" report which is now in its second year. The
independent survey looks at the future of UK health from three key
perspectives - employee, employer and the UK at large, in an attempt to
predict what the future health of our nation holds.

Lee Nicholls, Employer Brand and Values Manager at HSA,
explains: "By encouraging and enabling employees to take greater
responsibility of their health, UK companies are essentially taking the
strain off the NHS. Healthcare benefits that are used for preventative as
well as cure including health screening, occupational health and dental
benefits are especially useful for helping people to stay healthy and at
work. Healthcare benefits can also aid recruitment and retention, which
supports the economy as a whole. Companies should be rewarded for
implementing these programmes, although sadly the amount of tax paid on
healthcare can act as a deterrent."

Key findings from HSA's benchmark survey also reveal:

- 82% of companies believe the NHS is not operating in a way
that that provides organisations with adequate support to manage sickness
absence

- Health benefits that meet duty of care responsibilities will
be the most popular in the future according to our survey

- 46% of people would be more likely to purchase private
healthcare if their National Insurance contributions were reduced
according to our consumer research

- Only 2% of companies believe the NHS will have the capacity
to fully support the health of the UK workforce in the future

For further information about the HSA Healthplans please visit
http://www.hsa.co.uk/corporate or call +44-(0)800-072-6716

Notes to Editor

- HSA used research agencies, Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) and
Reed Business Insight (RBI) for this research. Using the consumer
Omnibus, Omnimas, TNS polled 1,067 adult consumers and 1,441 working
adults during June 2007 via face-to-face interviews. RBI polled 592 HR
decision makers using a questionnaire sent via email.

- HSA is a trading division of Simplyhealth Access and is a
provider of Healthplans, including Dental Plans and Personal Medical
Plans

- Part of the Simplyhealth Group, Simplyhealth Access is
authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority

- HSA Healthplans provide a funding solution to help meet the cost of
everyday healthcare. HSA Personal Medical Plans provide private medical cover
for treatment in the UK. HSA also provides solutions for the corporate
healthcare market

- As of January 2007 HSA had 892,000 customers providing cover for some
1,680,000 people

- As of February 2007 HSA had just over 5,000 UK corporate clients

- Further information on the company is available at http://www.hsa.co.uk
or contact +44-(0)800-08-54321