Health insurance

For decades, one of UNIQA’s core competencies has been health insurance. With a 46 per cent market share, we are the undisputed leader in our home market of Austria. For many people in this country, health insurance and UNIQA are simply one and the same.

In CEE, however, the health insurance business is still in its infancy, because investing in one’s own health requires a certain standard of living. Since prosperity is rising there as well, the potential is even larger. Both here and there, we want to give people access to better medical care with a wide range of services, and we want it to be fast and affordable. We also want to advise and support our customers through supplementary services, motivating them to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

For every need

Good health is a must when it comes to well-being, quality of life and leading an active life. That explains why this topic regularly ranks first in surveys of what really matters in people’s lives. UNIQA’s offer is spot on when it comes to meeting this elementary need: when people are ill, they want to receive high quality treatment and as quickly as possible. People attach high importance to being treated by their trusted physician at their chosen hospital, they want to avoid excessive waiting times in hospital outpatient departments and doctor’s surgeries. These are some of the reasons why more than 30 per cent of Austrians have private health insurance.

The best medical care possible

Depending on the type of contract, our customers are guaranteed high-quality medical care: outpatient treatment by established private doctors or inpatient treatment in a hospital’s premium category. This includes the free choice of hospitals and doctors as well as convenient appointment scheduling for diagnosis and treatment. We cover all forms of illness and/or therapy with this insurance, ranging from premium treatment in the hospital to dental implants. Some packages are also available online.

The wide range of offerings makes an impact. Of the 2,000 Austrians with private health insurance that were asked in 2017, 80 per cent rated their state of health significantly better than respondents without private healthcare, of whom only 65 per cent were satisfied with their health.

Consultation and prevention

As a responsible insurance provider, the UNIQA Group considers its wide range of consulting and other services to be a matter of course. The hotlines and digital consultation platforms that we use to support our customers in navigating the increasingly complex healthcare system are a key element of these services. For example, the Med PLUS24service team of doctors can provide quick answers by phone or e-mail when it comes to obtaining a second medical opinion, preventative or travel medicine, information on hospitals or doctors, nutrition tips or support services.

However, UNIQA also specifically promotes a healthy lifestyle and thus makes a contribution to prevention. Initiatives in this area include health examinations, fitness tests, individual consultations by professional VitalCoaches, exercise initiatives for children and youth, and supporting mass sport events. With our health check-ups and UNIQA HealthCheck boxes, we even visit companies to advise their employees on site. These offerings also help UNIQA meet another major desire people have: more than half of Austrians have a personal goal of improving their health through weight loss, exercise and healthy nutrition.

Fit-for-future services

These services will become even more important in future. In view of the rapid developments in medicine, it is becoming increasingly difficult for people to keep up to date with everything from genetic engineering, artificial intelligence and telemedicine to robotics and nanomedicine. Prevention and early detection are also becoming increasingly important. Sharing knowledge is therefore the order of the day. That’s why we work consistently to provide our customers added value in this area and to become a positive and responsible partner for them throughout their lives. Anyone who needs advice and support should feel in good hands with us, whether they are dealing with the public health system, need quick and unbureaucratic access to medical services or simply have questions about medical knowledge. One example of this is a web portal that is dedicated to the topic of health in a holistic way.

Moderate premiums, high profitability

Even though health insurance with its share of Group premiums of approx. 21 per cent is, in absolute terms, our smallest business segment, it contributes significantly to UNIQA’s profitability – and thus to our solid capital resources. This is because health insurance is characterised by stable contributions, long-term contracts and positive growth prospects. In addition, premiums rise steadily together with the developments in health costs and life expectancy. Another advantage from the Group’s point of view is that the rate of cancellations is low, as provisions formed during the term of the contract are not transferrable in the event of a withdrawal.

1.3 million contracts in health insurance

The premiums written in health insurance in Austria account for more than 90 per cent of the total Group’s volume, 7 per cent come from CEE. While UNIQA covers both in- and outpatient services in Austria, outpatient care is clearly paramount in CEE. This is mainly due to the fact that there are hardly any private hospitals there yet. In the medium to long term, however, we expect changes in this promising region similar to the development we have seen in Austria and Western Europe. Another interesting detail: UNIQA generates about one third of the premiums in health insurance through group insurance policies, such as those offered to the employees of a company.