US-based Plans
Plans Overview
The UN offers a comprehensive health insurance scheme under its headquarters’ health & life insurance programme that provides eligible staff members, retirees and their eligible dependants with medical, dental and life insurance coverage. Eligibility for the UNHQ administered health insurance programme is based on location, however, considering the cost of medical services in the United States, all staff members, retirees and their eligible dependants may enroll in one of the US-based plans. Benefits included in this scheme are preventive care, inpatient and outpatient services, pharmacy, optical care and other benefits. Dental benefits include diagnostic and preventative, restorative, and orthodontic care.
For UNHQ-administered health insurance plans, the UN and plan participants bear the costs collectively through a cost-sharing arrangement approved by the General Assembly. Please note that it is recommended for staff members to choose a plan based on benefits most applicable to individual/family circumstances rather than initial premiums. Please also note that it is not possible to cover staff members or retirees in a different health insurance plan than their eligible dependants. It is also not possible to cover dependants only.
The offered US-based plans for new staff are Aetna PPO, Empire Blue Cross PPO and Cigna Dental. Some staff might also be enrolled in the HIP, however, effective 1st July 2013, the HIP Health Plan of New York was closed to new subscribers (i.e., staff members or retirees). Subscribers who are currently covered may remain in the plan, and any changes related to eligible household members will be accepted but please note that a current subscriber who transfers to another United States plan during the annual enrollment campaign will not be allowed to return to the HIP plan. Plan details for all plans, including the HIP, can be accessed on the respective pages as well as the Resource Section below.
US-based plan benefits comparison: HIP, Aetna and Empire
