Welcome to the United Nations
  1. Home
  2. In Focus
  3. Health Insurance

Health Insurance

Medicare Part B premiums

Medicare Part B premiums | ASSOCIATION OF FORMER INTERNATIONAL CIVIL SERVANTS / NEW YORK (un.org)

Updates

Alerts

  • We are delighted to announce the creation by the United Nations Health and Life Insurance Section (HLIS) of a hotline for retirees regarding their health insurance matters.   AFICS/NY has been strongly advocating for the past couple of years for such dedicated service for retirees, especially for the additional capacity to provide it.  AFICS/NY was informed by HLIS that it has established a dedicated telephone line that retirees can call with any questions concerning ASHI (After-Service Health Insurance). The phone number for that dedicated line is 917-367-9727 and it is now operational, according to the following schedule:  Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 9.00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.; Tuesday, Thursday: 10.00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

  • The UN's Health & Life Insurance Committee (HLIC) has reported that some eligible retirees are not being reimbursed for their Medicare premium as they have not submitted the required documentation to the Health & Life Insurance Section (HLIS).  Retirees are urged to verify that they are being reimbursed for Medicare premiums paid by them directly, or through deductions from their Social Security payments.  Anyone having problems on Medicare Part B premium reimbursement should inform the HLIS by sending an email to ashi@un.org.

ASHI - After-Service Health Insurance

The United Nations offers optional After-Service Health Insurance coverage for eligible former staff members and their dependants. It is available only as a continuation, without interruption between active service and retirement status, of previous active-service coverage in a contributory health insurance plan of the United Nations.

  • Staff members are reminded that, among the eligibility requirements for after-service health insurance coverage, the applicant must be enrolled in a United Nations scheme at the time of separation from service.
  • It should also be noted that only family members enrolled with the staff member at the time of separation are eligible for continued coverage under the programme.

Enrolment in the after-service health insurance programme is not automatic.  Application for enrolment must be made within 31 days following the date of separation. Full details on the eligibility requirements and administrative procedures relating to after-service health insurance coverage are set out in administrative instruction ST/AI/2007/3 (available below in REFERENCE MATERIAL), dated 1 July 2007.

The Health and Life Insurance Section's website provides further information for UN Retirees and their Surviving Dependants, including eligibility, how to file claims, whom to contact for various matters, Medicare Part B, coordination of benefits and claims, guidance material and FAQs.

   RETIREES  *  SURVIVING DEPENDANTS

 

* PLEASE NOTE *

Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of AFICS/NY. The Association has no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation, or endorse the services provided or views expressed therein.

 

HLIS Contact Information

Dedicated ASHI PHONE LINE for RETIREES

(917) 367-9727

* Monday, Wednesday, Friday *

9:00am - 12:00pm

* Tuesday, Thursday *

10:00am - 12:00pm

and 2:00pm - 4:00pm

-----

ashi@un.org (retiree email)

hlis@un.org (active staff email)

 

UN Insurance Inquiries

  CONTACT US Form

The UN Health & Insurance Section (HLIS) offers an online form to submit any questions or inquiries you may have.

 

HLIS Letter to ASHI Participants

UN's Health and LIfe Insurance Section's LETTER regarding changes in the benefit provisions and monthly premiums effective 1 July 2021.

 

Third-Party Administrators (TPAs)

The HLIS website provides information on the organizations that provide administrative services to the UN as "Third Party Administrators" (TPAs) for US-based and Non-US based plans, currently Aetna, Empire Blue Cross, Cigna Dental and Cigna International.

 

Forms

  FORMS

On their website, the UN Health & Life Insurance Section indicates that for most benefits activities a form must be completed, and provide links to the forms required for most Health and Life Insurance actions.   Following is what you will now find:

  • Enrollment Applications

  • Plan Change Requests

  • ASHI

  • Medicare Part B

  • Life Insurance

 

 

Reference Material

ST/IC's, ST/AI's and policy documents by the Third Party Administrators (TPA's) are available in the HLIS website as REFERENCE MATERIAL.

 

HLIS Events & Updates

Click HERE for the Health & Life Insurance Section's Events calendar and posted Updates of importance to participants.

 

COVID-19 Response

The Health and Life Insurance Section provides information related to coverage of COVID-19 related issues.

 

Preparing for Retirement

Guidance from the Health and Life Insurance Section is provided to UN staff on steps to take in preparing for retirement in their SOON TO RETIRE website page, including a schedule from 12 months to Day 1 after separation. 

 

Pre-Retirement Toolkit

The UN's HR Portal provides a Pre-Retirement Toolkit covering a number of topics.  The AFTER-SERVICE HEALTH and LIFE INSURANCE page includes 7 steps that provide an overview for retirees and useful FAQs.

 

CURRENT PLANS AVAILABLE TO RETIREES

Following are the related health plan descriptions and carrier information provided by the UN Health & Life Insurance Section:

What are US-BASED PLANS?

The definition of US-based plans refers to these plans providing adequate coverage in the US and differs from the definition of UNHQ-administered plans as for example the UN WWP is also administered by the UNHQ but does not provide adequate coverage in the US due to the high healthcare costs. The US-based plans that do provide adequate coverage for any UN staff located in the US, and retirees residing in the US, and are currently open for enrollment are:

 

What are NON-US BASED PLANS?

The definition of non-US based plans refers to these plans not providing adequate coverage across the US and differs from the definition of UNHQ-administered plans as for example the UN WWP is indeed administered by the UNHQ but designed to only provide adequate coverage outside the US. The UN MIP, however, is not administered by the UNHQ but field offices themselves and only provides coverage outside the US as well. Currently, the non-US based plans available to staff outside the US are:

 

Medicare Part B Requirement for ASHI Participants

What is Medicare?

Medicare is the US federal health insurance program for people who are 65 or older.  It has different parts that cover specific services.  Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance for US-based doctors) helps cover doctors' services, hospital outpatient care and home health care, as well as some preventive services to help maintain your health and to keep certain illnesses from getting worse.  This coverage, called Original Medicare, is what you need if you are a retiree enrolled in a New York Headquarters plan.

 

You are eligible for Medicare Part B if you are a US Citizen or have lawfully resided in the United States for a minimum of 5 years, including periods under a G-4 visa.

IDS Annex 1 - Summary of Eligibility Rules (Medicare Parts A & B)  

 

< Key Points >

> Effective 01 January 2011, the UNHQ Medical Programme required all UN After Service Health Insurance (ASHI) participants and their dependents enrolled in a US-based plan, who have reached the age of 65, to enroll in Medicare Part B as soon as they become eligible in an effort to contain medical costs.

> If you are entitled to US Social Security payments, you will be automatically enrolled as you approach age 65 and should receive a card in the mail.  If you are not entitled to Social Security or if you declined to enrol when you reached age 65, but need to enrol in Medicare Part B, you may do so by contacting your local Social Security Administration office. You can locate your local office by going to the Social Security Administration (SSA) website, www.socialsecurity.gov.

> Medicare Part B enrollees must pay a monthly premium, for which ASHI participants will receive a full subsidy from the UN.  All participants must provide a copy of their Medicare statement to the UN Insurance and Disbursement Service as evidence of payment of the Medicare Part B premium on a yearly basis in order to receive the subsidy.  Further details are provided below.

> If you (and/or other family member) are deemed not eligible for Medicare Part B by your local Social Security Administration (SSA), the Insurance and Disbursement Service indicates that this needs to be reported to them.  Please provide the document from the SSA indicating this information along with the Declaration of Medicare Part B Ineligibility form (available below) and a copy of your passport or residency card, whichever applies to your situation. This is important as this document will waive your carrier’s adjudication of your claims.

Declaration of Medicare Part B Ineligibility (2017 Form)   

 

The UN’s Insurance and Disbursement Service has prepared a comprehensive Medicare FAQ document, posted below, with the following sections:

  • Section I: Eligibility & enrolment
  • Section II: Benefits
  • Section III: Coordination of Benefits (COB) & claims
  • Section IV: UN subsidy/Reimbursement
  • Section V: Miscellaneous

Medicare FAQs 2017  

For further information on Medicare and Medicare Part B, the Association has a separate page on this website under US Resident Issues; use the link below for easy access.  Also provided below is a link to the UN Insurance website page and the US Federal Government’s official Medicare website.

  Association's Medicare Part B page

  UN Health & Life Insurance site

  MEDICARE.GOV - Official US Govt site

 

Subsidy Related to Participatory Contributions in Medicare Part B

For US-based retirees, the UN reimburses the approved premium amount for Medicare Part B.  HLIS indicates that the following documents need to be submitted to ashi@un.org and that the authorized amount will be deposited into your bank account, once this required information is received and processed:

  • Copy of your Medicare Part B card
  • Medicare Part B Reimbursement Form
  • Letter or notice from SSA indicating your Medicare premium amount
  • Your current bank account details (a copy of a voided cheque is useful for verification)

 

Their website's RETIREES page also provides the following guidance materials and forms (towards the bottom of the page) related to Medicare Part B.

  • Medicare Part B Reimbursement Checklist
  • Declaration of Medicare Part B Ineligibility Checklist
  • Declaration of Medicare Part B Ineligibility Form
  • Medicare Part B Bank Form
  • Medicare Part B Annual Reimbursement Request Form

 

 

ActiveHealth Health Management Programme

“ActiveHealth” is a health benefit programme available to all Aetna and Empire Blue Cross health insurance plan participants to improve health management and lower health insurance costs.  Enrollment is automatic but only for Aetna and Empire.

 https://www.myactivehealth.com

 

UnitedHealthcare Global Assistance & Risk (formerly FrontierMEDEX)

Retirees and active staff who have Aetna or Empire Blue Cross coverage, traveling or working 100+ miles away from home, can obtain emergency medical, travel and personal security assistance 24 hours a day, anywhere in the World through UnitedHealthcare Global (UHCG).  UHCG is a programme providing emergency medical assistance management — including coordinating emergency evacuation and repatriation — and other travel assistance services. 

 

Although you are automatically enrolled as an Aetna or Empire Blue Cross subscriber (with the cost built into the premium), to obtain the UHCG ID Card to use for access to the UnitedHealthcare Global Emergency Response Center, you must first create an online account and register with the UN’s UnitedHealthcare Global Assistance ID# 33211.  Once registered, logging into the UnitedHealthcare Global Intelligence Center (via desktop or mobile device) will give you access to Medical Intelligence Reports, Medical & Security Alerts (including access to a free Daily Travel Alerts email subscription) and other travel tools.

https://members.uhcglobal.com

[for Login via Mobile Device]  m.members.uhcglobal.com

 

* NOTE *  The UHCG ID card will have the vital information needed to use in the event assistance is needed: UN Policy Number, toll-free (US/Canada) and collect-call numbers, and the UHC Global email address.  Be sure to also have your Aetna or Empire Blue Cross Insurance information card available during the call as you will be asked to provide this for confirmation of coverage.

 

The ST/IC/2018/15 Information Circular (Annex VII) extract posted below provides details on the programme’s services: Medical Assistance, Travel Assistance and Online services.  It also contains important instructions on how to use the service plus a list of international toll-free access numbers.  Download and keep to bring!

ST/IC/2018/15: Annex VII details of UnitedHealthcare Global Assistance & Risk usage     

 

Also provided below are instructions provided by the Health & Life Insurance Section to assist in creating a UnitedHealthcare Global Intelligence Center Account.

   UnitedHealthcare Global - Creating a UHCG Intelligence Center Account  

 

Affordable Care Act (ACA)

We have had some inquiries about the possible impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as "Obamacare", on UN After-Service health plan benefits.  Please be assured that there should be no impact on any UN retiree, dependent or survivor who is covered by a UN After-Service Health Insurance plan because it is unlikely that those mandated by the ACA would provide better coverage. The UN plans are not affected by the new legislation and will continue to be available to the retirees who participate in them.