Nigel Branker explains why 'better outcomes start with better access' for women
While the benefits industry is making progress on women’s health, there’s still more that can be done to recognize women’s health as less of a “niche issue” and more of “an actual health issue,” according to Securian Canada’s CEO Nigel Branker.
That recognition drove him to look for a partner in June Health that could address the problem head-on. He underscored how the insurer has been focused on identifying underserved populations and removing barriers to care.
Women still struggle to get proper support
When it examined women's health, the fragmentation showed that women at various life stages still struggle to get the support they need. That’s why Securian joined a $2.4-million funding round with several other investors for June Health, a digital platform that helps women navigate fragmented healthcare systems across conditions spanning Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, fertility, perimenopause and menopause.
The round includes multiple investors, with Securian as a key participant.
“We share a common belief and we think that better outcomes start with better access,” said Branker. “We're making progress and it's long overdue but there's still more work to be done. A lot of employers, insurers, partners are recognizing that when women don't get the health care or the support they need or they can't navigate the healthcare system. It impacts the workplace, it impacts well-being and productivity, and we see the barriers that women face. Insurers need to continue to be supportive and look at ways to help women navigate fragmented systems of care and get ways to improve access and get the care and the support they need at various stages in life.”
Meanwhile, June Health’s CEO and founder Lori Casselman noted how women make up half the workforce, drive 75 to 80 per cent of family healthcare decisions and account for a significant share of health claims and workplace costs. For insurers and health platforms alike, building better solutions for that population should be strategic decisions.
She emphasized the industry is starting to catch on.
"Insurers are increasingly recognizing that investing in modern women's health infrastructure does help to improve member outcomes, strengthens engagement within the workforce and retention within workforces as well as creating a more sustainable healthcare system by helping to address symptoms and healthcare issues before they become high-cost needs or high-cost interventions," she said.
Where the $2.4 million is going
According to Casselman, the funds are being directed toward three priorities: technology, clinical capabilities and partnerships, all aimed at expanding access to women's healthcare.
On the technology side, June Health is investing in AI tools designed to help women navigate both the healthcare system and their health insurance coverage. The company is also building out its clinical team by recruiting top women's health specialists and training them across disciplines, with the goal of delivering a more personalized and connected care experience.
Casselman noted strong practitioner interest, adding June Health now covers conditions across the full span of women's health - from PCOS and endometriosis through fertility and family planning to perimenopause and menopause. This gives employers and insurers a single solution for their workforce.
On the clinical side, specialists are drawn to the multidisciplinary model because it puts them alongside experts in other areas, creating opportunities to learn from each other while keeping the patient at the centre. The result, Casselman suggests, is a coordinated care approach where women dealing with multiple conditions at different life stages can access support in one place.
According to Casselman, the funding has been released and already at work. She noted the company recently hired a chief product officer with 23 years of experience in health technology, most recently at Point Click Care.
The hire will support June Health's push to accelerate platform development and innovation, said Casselman.
Why June Health and Securian chose to partner together
June Health and Securian’s partnership is rooted in a shared conviction that improving healthcare starts with removing barriers to access. June Health's work on long-standing gaps in women's healthcare fits with Securian's broader push to use technology to make health and financial well-being more connected and inclusive.
Branker believes the gaps in women's healthcare point to a systemic problem, and systemic problems are too large for any single organization to fix alone particularly as each player only sees one part of the system. He sees collaboration across sectors - bringing together complementary expertise and working in different parts of the healthcare chain - as what could end up moving the needle.
"There are fundamental barriers embedded within the system and that no one partner that sees only part of the system can solve that on their own," he said.
To that end, Casselman, who has worked in both large organizations and early-stage startups, emphasized healthcare fragmentation demands a collective approach.
"When investors, insurers, employers even as well as healthcare innovators like ourselves really work together, we have the opportunity to accelerate innovation, to validate solutions faster at scale, and then also to scale proven models across millions of members," she said.
Where June Health sits in a plan
When it comes to June Health’s platform, it doesn’t require employers to redesign their benefits plans, noted Casselman, as it’s layered on top of existing benefits rather than replacing them. It functions as a standalone women's health benefit that sits alongside whatever supports an employer already offers.
Where there is overlap with covered services, like paramedical providers, for example, June Health helps members identify what their existing plan covers and how to use that coverage when booking specialists through the platform. The goal is a coordinated model where employer sponsorship and existing plan entitlements work together rather than in parallel, said Casselman.
Furthermore, June Health's goal is to reach the largest possible share of the working population. She believes pairing with an institutional partner like Securian allows the company to combine the speed of its own innovation with the scale and structure a carrier brings to market.
While the full roadmap hasn’t been built out yet, Branker said the ambition extends beyond employer-sponsored plans.
"There's a set of barriers for people covered under an employer or group benefits plan. There are also a lot of Canadians who don't have access to a group plan so being able to partner with June Health and help that segment of the population is something we're excited about," he said.
