Send an email to HLIS and to FAFICS to demand accountability (suggested content of emails below)
INFORMATION IS NOT ENOUGH
Premium increases affect us all
The regular annual increases in UN health insurance premiums should concern all of us, current and retired staff alike. For 2026, the Aetna premium increase is 35%.
When premiums rise sharply, particularly when benefits in some plans are reduced, we naturally want to know why, who makes the decisions, and what, if anything, is being done to keep costs under control.
The HLIS/AFICS NY town hall
Today HLIS sent me the video and presentation from its 21 May 2026 town hall, co-hosted with AFICS/NY. The presentation contains a wealth of information about the UN health insurance programme, including the factors driving costs and how the programme is managed.
One thing it did not cover, as Julie Boore, introduced as HLIS Communications Officer, stated at the start of the meeting, was the premium increases that took effect on 1 July because, she said, they had not yet been finalized.
This raises an obvious question: why hold a town hall before key information, such as the new health insurance premiums, has been finalized?
My experience
Yesterday I wrote to HLIS at afics@un.org, because I never received its 30 July email (that I posted in the FCICS Facebook group on Wednesday) —or, for that matter, any other HLIS email—explaining the new premiums, even though my email address has not changed since I retired in 2009.
HLIS (hlis@un.org ) promptly replied that my address is correct in its system, suggested I check my spam folder (there were no HLIS emails there), and sent me links to the town hall recording and presentation (links below).
My concern
My concern is not that HLIS fails to provide information: it clearly produces detailed presentations and reports containing extensive data.
My question is whether that information reaches everyone who needs it and, more importantly, whether it reaches them in time for retirees to make important decisions, such as switching health insurance plans.
A 35 percent increase in Aetna premiums is a major financial issue for many retirees. So are the 16% (Anthem), 15% (UN Worldwide), and 5% (Cigna) increases.
Changes of this magnitude should reach every ASHI participant directly, clearly and well before they take effect, not through an email sent the day before the deductions are effected, or afterwards through a lengthy video or pdf presentation at a town hall that many retirees never even knew had taken place.
What is HLIS's role?
I also wonder what authority HLIS actually has to influence costs. Does it negotiate with insurers or recommend ways to contain premiums? Or is its role mainly administrative? Knowing who makes or affects what decisions is important if retirees are to know where accountability lies.
What retirees can do
Rather than simply complain, I think retirees can ask some reasonable questions, and expect reasonable answers.
We can take the following actions:
We can write to HLIS asking how communications with retirees can be improved and what role it plays in controlling costs.
We can write to the FAFICS president, since FAFICS presents itself as the representative of all retirees, asking what advocacy they undertook before the premium increases were approved and what recommendations they made on behalf of retirees.
The bottom line
HLIS already provides a great deal of information. My concern is that it may not be communicated in a timely manner or reach everyone it is intended to reach.
Transparency is more than publishing reports and presentations. It also means making sure retirees receive important information in time to understand its implications, ask questions and, where appropriate, make informed decisions before major changes take effect.
For those of us who help pay for our health insurance, that seems like a very basic expectation.
UN retirees: PLEASE SEND THE FOLLOWING EMAILS TO 1) HLIS, CC. ASHI; 2) FAFICS PRESIDENT AND SECRETARY, CC YOUR LOCAL ASSOCIATION HEAD
EMAIL TO HLIS
c.c. ashi@un.org
SUBJECT: ASHI: IMPROVING COMMUNICATIONS AND CONTROLLING COSTS
Dear Head of HLIS,
I am writing to express my concern about this year's health insurance premium increases and to seek a better understanding of HLIS's role in the process.
While some ASHI participants received the 30 July email explaining the new premiums and information about the 21 May town hall, others did not. I wonder how many retirees may have missed this important information.
I appreciate that the town hall and accompanying presentation provided valuable background information on the UN health insurance programme. However, because the new premiums had not yet been finalized, the meeting could not address the significant premium increases that took effect on 1 July.
Could you please clarify HLIS's role in the development and review of health insurance premiums, including the extent to which it is able to recommend or advocate measures to help contain costs?
I would also appreciate learning what additional steps HLIS is taking to ensure that all ASHI participants receive timely and clear communications before major changes affecting their health insurance take effect.
Thank you for your attention to these questions.
Best regards,
[Name]
EMAIL TO FAFICS
for AFICS/NY, cc afics@un.org
SUBJECT: ASHI INCREASED PREMIUMS: HOW IS FAFICS ADDRESSING RETIREE INTERESTS?
Dear Fafics Presidentt, Jerry Barton,
As FAFICS presents itself as the representative voice of UN retirees on matters affecting pensions and after-service health insurance, whether or not they are a member of a FAFICS member association, I would appreciate learning what role FAFICS, through its Standing Committee on After-Service Health Insurance and Long-term Care (ASHIL), played in representing retirees' interests before this year's health insurance premium increases were approved.
I appreciate that the 21 May HLIS/AFICS-NY town hall provided useful background information on the UN health insurance programme. However, because the new premiums had not yet been finalized, it could not address the significant increases that took effect on 1 July.
Could you please let retirees know what concerns or recommendations FAFICS, through its Standing Committee on After-Service Health Insurance and Long-term Care (ASHIL), conveyed to the UN Administration regarding the premium increases, how it consulted its member associations in developing those positions, how it took into account the interests of retirees who are not members of FAFICS associations, and what response, if any, was received?
Greater transparency about FAFICS' advocacy on behalf of all UN retirees would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your attention to these questions.
Best regards,
[Name]
VIDEO:
PRESENTATION:
No comments:
Post a Comment