COLUMBUS, Ga., April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac
Incorporated, a leader in supplemental insurance at U.S. worksites,
today announced it has contributed $5
million to two organizations that are providing assistance
for health care workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 global
pandemic. The $5 million donation
includes:
$2 million for the Global Center
for Medical Innovation (GCMI), a comprehensive innovation center
using innovative 3D printing to help support medical device
shortages, particularly as it relates to ventilators and protective
masks. GCMI works in collaboration with Children's
Healthcare of Atlanta Pediatric Technology Center.
$3 million for Direct Relief, a
humanitarian aid organization providing personal protective
equipment (PPE) and essential medical items to health workers
responding to the coronavirus. Direct Relief is active in all 50
states.
"Whether you have been directly impacted or are witnessing the
global pandemic through the media, one thing is very clear:
Americans are coming together to address this problem in ways we
have not seen in a very long time," Aflac Incorporated Chairman and
CEO Dan Amos said. "At Aflac, our
mission is to be there for our policyholders in their time of need
and provide value for our shareholders. In our minds, there is no
better way to accomplish both of these goals than to help fill
significant needs in a crisis and by delivering for our customers
with more urgency than ever before."
"Direct Relief is deeply grateful to Aflac for its generosity
and significant commitment in this challenging time,"
said Thomas Tighe, Direct Relief
president and CEO. "As cases continue to grow, private industry has
an extraordinary ability to collaborate for the public good, and
Aflac is leading through its actions."
"GCMI is the bridge connecting clinicians to help translate
ideas through development and scaling solutions rapidly, where it
can have broad impact on healthcare worker safety and patient
care," GCMI's CEO, Tiffany
Wilson said. "This funding helps get the relief needed to
the frontline by accelerating innovation and collaboration."
"The Global Center for Medical Innovation and
the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Pediatric Technology
Center are at the foundation of our
collaborative, nationwide effort to provide an innovative
solution to the PPE shortage crisis," said Dr. Joanna Newton MD, M.Sc., attending physician,
pediatric hematology and oncology, Aflac
Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children's Healthcare
of Atlanta; senior clinical
advisor, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Pediatric Technology
Center. "This generous gift from Aflac allows us to rapidly scale
production to immediately increase the supply of PPE across
the country."
In addition to the $5 million in
donations, Aflac has addressed the needs of a variety of groups
through other measures, including policyholders, employees, 1099
independent agents who sell Aflac products, and the local
communities where Aflac and Aflac Group Insurance are
headquartered.
Support for policyholders
Aflac is encouraging policyholders who are displaying COVID-19
symptoms to seek treatment and is paying wellness benefits on
applicable policies for COVID-19 tests, when completed claims are
submitted. Additionally, the company's hospital indemnity
plans offer benefits for policyholders treated in temporary
facilities authorized by a qualifying hospital for treatment, when
a charge is incurred. Policyholders who are unable to pay their
premiums have been granted premium payment grace periods. The
company is generally treating telemedicine visits the same way it
would an in-person visit to a health care provider. To communicate
these initiatives, Aflac created a COVID-19-related consumer
Frequently Asked Questions site at Aflac.com to provide speedy
responses to policyholders' questions about their policies. The
company also created a special COVID-19-related small-business
microsite to assist employers during this time of need.
Policyholders can also take advantage of enhanced technologies for
submitting claims by using Aflac SmartClaim® via our
online system at www.aflac.com or by downloading the MyAflac
Mobile App.
Support for Aflac employees
In mid-February, Aflac enacted travel restrictions and initiated
a work-from-home program. Currently, approximately 98% of its U.S.
workforce is working from their homes. Also, in March, the company
announced its plan to amend employee benefits to address COVID-19
concerns, including providing up to an additional 30 days of
pandemic leave for employees who experience symptoms consistent
with, or who are diagnosed with, COVID-19. This leave can also be
used for those with day care and other challenges associated with
ripple effects of the virus. All Aflac employees and their
dependents who are covered under the company-sponsored major
medical policy will receive a waiver of their copays when using
telemedicine to receive a consultation for symptoms related to
COVID-19. The company is covering 100% of the costs for COVID-19
tests.
Aflac also pays for certain important supplemental benefits for
its employees that contain hospitalization benefits and a
once-per-year annual wellness benefit when seeking medical
treatment. Aflac is encouraging all employees to take advantage of
this benefit.
Support for 1099 independent agents licensed to sell Aflac
products
During this difficult time, Aflac is providing no-interest
loans within IRS guidelines to support 1099 independent sales
agents licensed to sell Aflac products. The company has also
converted sales incentive awards, including annual meetings, into
cash awards for agents who qualify.
Support for communities
In addition to the $5 million
contribution, Aflac provided donations to local organizations,
including $100,000 to the Community
Foundation of the Chattahoochee Valley in Columbus, Georgia, working in conjunction with
the United Way of Chattahoochee Valley, to help with COVID-19
relief efforts. The company made a $50,000 contribution to the United Way of the
Midlands COVID-19 Response Fund in
Columbia, South Carolina, for
their efforts to combat the coronavirus.
"These unprecedented times are when Aflac shines, because we are
truly a company that cares about our customers, shareholders,
employees and communities. We will get through this crisis together
with a renewed spirit of strength and community across the nation,"
said Aflac U.S. President Teresa L.
White.
About Aflac Incorporated
Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:
AFL) is a Fortune 500 company, helping provide protection to more
than 50 million people through its subsidiaries in Japan and the U.S., where it is a leading
supplemental insurer by paying cash fast when policyholders get
sick or injured. For more than six decades, insurance policies of
Aflac Incorporated's subsidiaries have given policyholders the
opportunity to focus on recovery, not financial stress. Aflac Life
Insurance Japan is the leading provider of medical and cancer
insurance in Japan where it
insures 1 in 4 households. For 14 consecutive years, Aflac
Incorporated has been recognized by Ethisphere as
one of the World's Most Ethical Companies. In 2020, Fortune
included Aflac Incorporated on its list of World's Most Admired
Companies for the 19th time, and Bloomberg added Aflac Incorporated
to its Gender-Equality Index, which tracks the financial
performance of public companies committed to supporting gender
equality through policy development, representation and
transparency. To find out how to get help with expenses health
insurance doesn't cover, get to know us
at aflac.com or aflac.com/espanol.
About Global Center for Medical Innovation
The Global
Center for Medical Innovation (GCMI) is the Southeast's first and
only comprehensive medical device innovation center, dedicated to
accelerating development, building businesses and improving health.
GCMI opened its doors in April 2012
and to date has worked with over 50 different startups, clinician
innovators, university tech transfer offices and academic
researchers to design, engineer, prototype and facilitate
commercialization of a broad range of innovative medical
devices.
About Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Pediatric Technology
Center at the Georgia Institute of
Technology
The Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Pediatric Technology Center is
part of the Georgia Institute of
Technology. The center facilitates collaboration between
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta clinicians, doctors, and
researchers conducting fundamental and translational research to
advance children's health and delivery of pediatric services in a
broad range of research areas.
About Direct Relief
A humanitarian organization
committed to improving the health and lives of people affected by
poverty or emergencies, Direct Relief delivers lifesaving medical
resources throughout the world to communities in need—without
regard to politics, religion, or ability to pay. For more
information, please visit https://www.DirectRelief.org.
Aflac | Aflac NY | WWHQ | 1932 Wynnton Road | Columbus, GA 31999.
Media contact – Aflac - Jon A.
Sullivan, 706-763-4813 or Jsullivan@aflac.com
Analyst and investor contact – David
A. Young, 706-596-3264, 800-235-2667 or dyoung@aflac.com
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