Supplementary healthcare, 3 out of 4 workers ask for it but it is in 45% of companies

Supplementary healthcare coverage appeals to workers, grappling with the backwardness of the national health service that causes long waits for medical examinations and examinations, but it is not yet widely used by companies. The latest survey by Osservatorio Sanità, conducted by Nomisma for UniSalute on a sample of 1,650 Italians, found that only 45% of companies include supplementary healthcare in their welfare plan. The tool is more widespread in the North, where the percentage rises to 51%, dropping to 49% in the Centre and plummeting to 34% in the South.

Among workers who do not have supplementary cover, 75%, or three out of four, say they would like it to be introduced in their company. Having health services included in their employment contract is therefore seen as an opportunity, in a country where only 8% of Italians believe that in the future the public system alone will be able to meet all their health needs.

Among workers who do have health cover in their employment contract, the services that are most used are reimbursement of the costs of visits and examinations and medical services with contracted doctors (71%), followed by dental care (57%), prevention packages (54%) and reimbursement for lenses and glasses (45%). Only 41% of workers, however, are truly satisfied with their company's supplementary healthcare offerings because coverage such as maternity packages (20%), support for psychological and psychotherapy pathways (15%) and telemedicine services (12%) is still not widespread. In addition, only 21% of companies offer care services for elderly or dependent family members.