Last day to enroll in supplementary insurance coverage for 1.2 million workers. Controversy over funds deducted from salaries.
Today, September 20, 2026, is the final deadline for Italian school staff to enroll in the collective, complimentary supplementary health insurance plan. The initiative, described by Minister Giuseppe Valditara as a "historic milestone," involves teachers, administrative, technical, and auxiliary staff, school leaders, and employees of the Ministry of Education and Merit, totaling over 1.2 million workers.
The policy, managed by UniSalute in co-insurance with Poste Assicura and Intesa Sanpaolo Protezione, will take effect on September 30. Enrollment is voluntary, but once confirmed on the ministerial portal, it becomes final and irrevocable. The service does not involve payroll deductions and also covers pre-existing conditions, with an annual maximum coverage of €600,000 per person.
However, the measure has divided the education sector. While the ministry and the signing unions defend the move as a strengthening of welfare, grassroots and dissenting confederal unions argue that the allocated €320 million diverts resources that could have fueled collective bargaining and increased staff salaries.
The origin of the health insurance policy for school workers dates back to December 29, 2025, when the National Integrative Collective Agreement (CCNI) for the Education and Research sector was signed. This agreement laid the groundwork for supplementary health coverage funded by state allocations and budget savings, amounting to a total of approximately 320 million euros.
The tender process was managed by Consip, the central purchasing body of the Public Administration, and was awarded to a co-insurance consortium formed by UniSalute (Unipol group), Intesa Sanpaolo Protezione, and Poste Assicura. The debate stems from the allocation of these resources: on one hand, the ministry presents them as a welfare innovation, while on the other, dissenting unions view them as a diversion of funds that should have been used to bolster the meager salaries of state school employees.
The controversy has divided the union front: the Flc Cgil refused to sign the agreement, arguing that "on the health insurance issue, the ministry is playing a shell game," while others, such as Usb Scuola, denounce it as legitimizing the privatization of healthcare. The conflict has now shifted to the political arena, with parliamentary inquiries and pressure to redirect the resources toward the upcoming contract renewal.
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