The option to enroll in the health insurance programme is part of the benefit package at the UN. You make choices depending on your personal situation and where you are serving. The programme is administered globally by the UNHQ Health and Life Insurance Section for staff serving in New York, staff serving in the other areas of the world, and retired staff.

Carefully review the information here and on the website of the UNHQ Health and Life Insurance Section (HLIS) to get the details you need to make the right choice for your personal needs.

 Eligibility

 Staff members in all categories holding a temporary, fixed-term, continuing or permanent appointment of three months or longer may enrol themselves and eligible family members in the UN insurance programme. Eligible family members are your recognized spouse and one or more recognized children up to age 25.
 Staff members holding temporary appointments with one or more extensions that together amount to three months or more of continuous service can enrol themselves and eligible family members from the start of the contract that will meet the three-month minimum threshold.
Staff members holding temporary appointments of less than three months are eligible to enrol in the Vanbreda short-term medical insurance plan on an individual basis. They may not enrol family members.
 Staff serving at or administered by the UN Offices in Geneva and Vienna need to refer to the websites below for plans that are administered locally by those offices and may have different eligibility rules, schedule of benefits and costs. Offices in Geneva and Vienna also administer their own plans.

 UN Health Insurance Programme in brief

• Health insurance plans are either:
  a)     US-based for staff members in the United States and retirees whose country of residence is the US. If a non-US based staff member has a family member residing in the US, or plans to seek care in the US, then they have the option of selected a US-based plan.
  b)     Non-US for internationally recruited staff members.
  c)     Non-US for locally recruited staff members.
• The benefits and costs of each program vary between duty stations.  For specifics, refer to the HLIS website.
• The UN health insurance programme is a mostly self-funded health benefit plan, meaning that the yearly contributions paid by the participants and the subsidy paid by the UN (collectively referred to as “premiums”) are used to cover actual claim costs plus a fixed administrative fee.
• The General Assembly has mandated cost-sharing ratios between the staff and the UN towards the cost of the programme. The premium cost a staff member will pay to be a participant each year is based on the cost of medical or dental treatment received by United Nations participants in the plan in the prior year and projected costs for the current planned year which run from July to June.
• Health insurance provisions are described in the Staff Rules and in the annual Information Circular published each year to detail the policies, rates, terms and conditions of insurance benefits.  For staff administered by Geneva and Vienna, please refer to the websites indicated below.

 Enrolment and changes in coverage
Active staff members who wish health insurance coverage may enrol themselves and their eligible family members within 31 days of entry on duty or arrival in a new duty station.  They may also enrol family members within 31 days of a “qualifying” life event such as marriage, birth or adoption of child.

• Failure to apply within the 31-day period will mean that you can only enrol during the designated dates for changes, usually April/May each year (called the “annual campaign”) for coverage to begin 1 July.  Staff members may also change plans, add an eligible family member who was not previously covered or drop coverage for an enrolled family member during the annual campaign period.
• If you move between organizations, have a break in appointment, or move between duty stations, your coverage at the original office is terminated automatically but not restored automatically. You must resubmit an application for insurance coverage.
• Staff members are required to immediately notify the Health and Life Insurance Section or their local human resources office in writing within 31 days of the qualifying event whenever changes in covered persons occur such as death, divorce or a child marrying or taking up full-time employment.

 Insurance contact

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