Go-ahead for supplementary health insurance for 1.2 million school employees

As of September 10, the procedure to enroll in the free supplementary health insurance scheme for all school staff and employees of the Ministry of Education is operational. The measure, funded with 320 million euros for the 2026-2029 four-year period, involves over 1.2 million people, including teachers, administrative, technical, and auxiliary staff, educators, school principals, and ministerial employees.

Minister Giuseppe Valditara described the initiative as a "historic milestone," the result of a "significant financial commitment" to recognize the value of work in schools. Enrollment, which is voluntary, is carried out through the reserved area of the MIM portal using SPID, CIE, or CNS. The policy, provided by Unisalute in co-insurance with Poste Assicura and Intesa Sanpaolo Protezione, will be effective from September 30, 2026, to September 29, 2030.

The coverage, with an annual maximum of 600,000 euros per beneficiary, includes hospitalizations, surgical procedures, day hospital services, childbirth, dental prevention, and assistance in case of dependency. It is valid throughout Italy and also covers chronic and pre-existing conditions, without limitations related to physical health status.

The supplementary health insurance for school staff stems from a process initiated by Minister Valditara starting in 2023, with the declared aim of "restoring authority" to those working in schools through greater protections and economic recognition. It is part of a broader "system-wide operation" by the Ministry of Education and Merit, which already included other welfare measures such as insurance coverage against accidents and occupational diseases, as well as benefits in transport and banking services.

The project required years of work and public funding of 320 million euros allocated over four years. The pool of beneficiaries is particularly broad because it includes not only permanent staff but also fixed-term staff (for the duration of their assignment), Catholic religion teachers, and seconded or assigned personnel. This universal approach addresses the need to provide complementary health protection to the National Health Service for a numerically extensive professional category.

The measure represents a significant change in the welfare of the public school sector, creating for the first time a structured and free supplementary health coverage for the entire educational community. The immediate consequences involve access to additional healthcare services for over a million workers, while in the long term it could become a model for other categories of public employees.