Italian ICMIF member Unipol Group has put in place a fourfold action plan to enable the group to deal with the ongoing health emergency and to continue to support member policyholders.
Business continuity
At the beginning of the pandemic, the Unipol Group launched a business continuity plan aimed at ensuring the continued provision of activities and service levels. The number of employees enabled to work from home was gradually increased over the first few weeks of the pandemic, beginning with the staff of the UniSalute Operations Centre, claims settlement and other call centres. In just three weeks, the operating model, application platforms and technological infrastructures were adjusted to enable remote working and now 91% of Unipol workers are working from home.
Supporting members
Extension for payment times has been extended to all Unipol customers for all policies. In addition to confirming that the coverage offered by its health insurance policies also covers the Coronavirus risk, Unipol extended the daily allowance to any insured parties put into quarantine at home after testing positive for Covid-19 at no additional cost. Furthermore, UnipolSai has said that it will give back one month of motor liability insurance to its 10 million customers.
Innovative services launched
UniSalute, the life and health insurance business of Unipol and the company devoted to prevention and the protection of health, has launched some innovative services for its policyholders.
Firstly, due to the pressure on public health services, UniSalute established a Coronavirus medical consultation service which is available 24/7 for policyholders through the UniSalute Medical Centre.
Secondly, as many people have had their appointments with specialist health centres cancelled and many outpatient clinics have been closed due to the virus, UniSalute launched a specialist video consultation service, which enables a direct discussion with a specialist when a face to face appointment and/or a physical examination is not necessary (e.g the sharing of test results).
Thirdly, the UnipolSai #AndràTuttoBene product was created which gives a daily hospitalisation allowance of EUR 100 and EUR 3000 in compensation if any employees of companies who subscribed to the coverage find themselves in intensive care. To date this has covered over 5 million people. The UnipolSai #AndràTuttoBenefree product was launched for UnipolSai customers who face hospitalisation caused by COVID-19. It offers a daily hospitalisation allowance for 10 days starting from the sixth day and, in case of an admission to intensive care with intubation, an indemnity flat rate for convalescence. The policy is free and is being activated for customers who have an Auto or Damage policy, expired or expiring in the months of March, April and May 2020, with regular payment of the premium.
Supporting the healthcare system in Italy
The Unipol Group, through UnipolSai Assicurazioni, has allocated EUR 20m to help combat the coronavirus emergency in the most severely affected areas of Italy. In close cooperation with the Regional Authorities, the Civil Protection Authority and the officials involved in managing the emergency, Unipol will allocate said resources to increase the number of beds in hospitals, especially in intensive care and semi-intensive care units, and purchase the necessary healthcare equipment to try to help stop the epidemic from spreading.
Wishing to support efforts to deal with the growing health emergency in a practical way, the Unipol Group made a number of intensive care beds and standard hospital beds available at the Villa Donatello clinic in Florence in Tuscany.
At the same time, the Unipol Group hotel chain, Gruppo UNA, in association with the Civil Protection Authority and the Lombardy region, offered to accommodate medical and paramedical staff at its hotels in Milan and Varese. The UNA Hotel in Bologna-San Lazzaro was also made available for the Emilia Romagna region.
For additional information on Unipol’s response please click here and watch our video here (in Italian).
