Page 13 - DIVA_No.23_2006

Interview with Nadine Burcher,

Managing Director, UNIQA Assurances SA
International Health and Accident Insurance

Q: The name UNIQA staff of more than 9,700. It is
Assurances SA is well- a financially strong and well- Die UNIQA Landkarte wächst
known among people work- known group with a premium EXtSSlOII & POTBIZIAL. UNIQA erobert the Zukurrftsmárkte irn Osten Europas.
ing for CERN, but other income of € 3,600 mio for
people may not know what 2004. Being one of the lead-
you are doing. Would you ing suppliers of insurance The UNIQA map is growing
be so kind as to tell us solutions and health-care EXt USSf*t & PQT1T114L UNIQA crexass the markets of the future kr Eastern Europe.
something about your services, we enjoy an excel-
group and your activity in lent reputation for the quality
Switzerland? of the services supplied. WetIticY, CanOe
Ystitche WheAt,
We are, in fact, a member of In Switzerland, we are
the UNIQA group, which is involved in a specialized GERMANY
an Austrian insurance niche market, namely private
group. health insurance for the inter-
national
community.
UNIQA Assurances SA is a According to Swiss legisla-
Swiss private health insur- tion on social health insur-
ance company established ance, since 1996 any resident
in 1979 with an intentional in Switzerland is obliged to
Austrian identity, represent- be part of the Swiss social
UNtOA
ing economic and ethical health insurance system.
values in every area in However, those who work for
every aspect of our activi- the international organiza-
ties. We were earlier known tions, diplomats and expatri-
not, therefore, have a license expanding and acquiring new
under the name Austria ates working for multination-
to propose other types of clients.
Assurance. Since 2001, as a al companies are exempted
insurance.
result of a merger between from this rule. They are free
Q: Can you offer the same
our Austrian headquarters to choose their own insur- Q: The name ofyour compa- services to other internation-
and other insurance compa- ance. It is all a matter of legal ny is very familiar for those al organizations?
nies, the group and its for- status, and we are serving
working in CERN. What you
eign subsidiaries were those who are not subject to are offering to people work- Many of the international
renamed UNIQA. the obligation of the Swiss
ing there? organizations, the big ones in
In Austria, UNIQA is a social security scheme.
Historically, UNIQA came particular, already have their
market leader in all the dif- to Switzerland because of internal social security plan,
ferent insurance branches. Q: There are people in inter- the health insurance contract often self-funded and/or self-
For geographical and his- national organizations who
we established with CERN administrated. The degree of
torical reasons, the UNIQA are not covered by health
thirty-five years ago. Ever coverage is not the same, if
group has now turned insurance. Can they sub- since then, we have been the you compare the one in the
towards the emerging mar- scribe to medical insurance insurance company for UN with the one in CERN.
kets in Eastern Europe. with you?
CERN and we have adapted
Today we are active in all to their needs. Currently Our particularity is that we
insurance sectors through- We do not sell individual
there are around 12'000 per- do not offer only a standard
out eleven countries, and health insurances; we only sons covered by the CERN product: we can tailor some
we are expanding into provide collective health Health Insurance Scheme. product to the needs of our
insurance. For instance, if a
Ukraine, We have also established a clients, and we propose to
Byelorussia,
Russia and Romania. In the representative from a diplo-
Help Desk on the CERN site them the territorial coverage
Western European markets, matic mission comes to see and devoted our activities to they need—it may consist of
UNIQA is active in all us, we could offer an insur- their needs. medical coverage for Europe
insurance sectors, whereas ance policy covering the staff
We also provide health or the whole world. We have,
in the more mature markets of the mission and their fam- insurance to other clients but for instance, partners all over
UNIQA functions in more ilies on health matters, sick-
CERN remains our most the world, and particularly in
specialized niche markets. ness and loss of earning in important
in
client
the United States, which is
In Europe, UNIQA Group case of illness. The fact that Switzerland. But, of course, one of the most liberal insur-
serves more than 3.4 mil- we do not sell individual
our objectives consist of ance markets in the world.
lion customers, with a total health insurances is a matter
of strategic choice. We do
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