Supplementary health insurance: 2 in 3 have taken it out, but 4 in 10 find it of little use

The pros and cons of the free supplementary health insurance scheme, which school staff have the opportunity to join by 20 September: on the one hand, there is a clear majority in favour of joining; on the other, however, doubts are being raised about the actual usefulness of the cover provided, and there is a barrage of criticism regarding the source of the funds used to finance the scheme. The figures come from an online survey carried out by the newspaper ‘La Tecnica della Scuola’, to which 547 readers responded.

When asked whether they had decided to sign up for the new supplementary health cover, 61.6 per cent of respondents answered in the affirmative, with this figure set to rise, given that there are still two days left before the deadline for enrolment. Among those who did not agree, 19.7 per cent cited ‘other reasons’, 15.5 per cent complained that the terms of use were not yet clear, and a minority stated that they were not interested in the benefits on offer.

The division over the measure’s usefulness as a welfare tool is even more pronounced. 39.3 per cent of readers who took part in the survey believe that the benefits provided are ‘not very useful’, whilst only 20.1 per cent consider them ‘very useful’. A further 19.7 per cent consider it valid only for certain benefits, and 20.8 per cent admit that they do not yet know enough about the cover to form a fully informed opinion. The most significant finding, therefore, remains the by no means negligible proportion of school staff who harbour reservations or doubts about the measure’s actual usefulness compared with their expectations.

Staff interest in health insurance has led to a veritable surge in applications: in less than three days since the launch on 10 September, over 250,000 people have signed up. This is a significant figure which, according to the Ministry of Education, demonstrates that the scheme meets a genuine need among school staff.