Version August 2018
GLOBAL
GROUP
MEDICAL
INSURANCE
POLICY
FOR
INTERNS,
FELLOWS,
SCIENTIFIC
VISITORS,
TRAINING
COURSE
AND
MEETING
PARTICIPANTS
OF
A
UNITED
NATIONS
ORGANIZATION
FREQUENTLY
ASKED
QUESTIONS
Frequently Asked Questions - Cigna Group Medical Insurance Policy for Interns, Fellows, Scientific Visitors, Training Course
and Meeting Paricipants of a United Nations Organization 2/8
August 2018
This leaflet gives you an overview of the Frequently Asked Questions and is meant for interns,
fellows, scientific visitors, training course and meeting participants who are covered within the
framework of the above-mentioned policy.
1. When does your coverage commence and terminate?
The coverage will be effective from the starting date of your internship, fellowship, scientific visit,
training course or meeting. Coverage is for the entire period of the internship, fellowship, scientific visit,
training course or meeting up to and including the last day for which an allowance is payable.
Some organisations allow for an extension of the coverage of maximum 2 days before the start of your
internship and 2 days after the end date of your internship, so that you are covered during the day(s)
that you travel to and from the place of your internship.
2. Who can be covered?
Only the interns, fellows, scientific visitors, training course and meeting participants can be covered by
the scheme; dependants cannot be included in this coverage.
3. What is the coverage for medical expenses?
The medical insurance policy provides for reimbursement of medical, hospital and dental treatment up
to a maximum of US $10,000/US $15,000/US $25,000/US $50,000 per insured person (depending on
the coverage selected by the organization) in any twelve consecutive months’ period, subject to the
following limitations:
3.1. 100% reimbursement
Reimbursement of 100% of the expenses involved in respect of medical treatment prescribed by
doctors qualified to treat patients.
At the rate of 100% are also reimbursed the costs of hospital services such as:
• bed and board (maximum rate: the rate of the hospital concerned for a room for two or more
patients)
• general nursing service
• use of operating rooms and equipment
• use of recovery rooms and equipment
• laboratory examinations
• X-ray examinations
• drugs and medicine for use in the hospital
The first US $10 of any claim for medical expenses is not reimbursable (per 12 month period starting
on the commencement of the coverage).
3.2. Limited reimbursement
The following types of treatment alone are subject to certain limitations:
- Dental treatment: the cost of dental care, of periodontic treatment, of false teeth, crowns,
bridges, other similar appliances and dentofacial orthopaedics is reimbursed only to a
maximum sum of US $600 in a any twelve consecutive months period per insured person.
Frequently Asked Questions - Cigna Group Medical Insurance Policy for Interns, Fellows, Scientific Visitors, Training Course
and Meeting Paricipants of a United Nations Organization 3/8
August 2018
- Special examinations and treatments:
a. The costs of psychiatric treatment including psycho-analysis are reimbursable only if the patient
is treated by a psychiatrist. The costs of psychiatric treatment are reimbursable only at the rate
of 50% and to a maximum reimbursement of US $600, for not more than 50 visits per Insured
Person in any consecutive six-month period.
b. The costs of radiological treatment are reimbursable only if the patient has been referred to the
specialist by the doctor in attendance.
c. Expenses of or in connection with travel or transportation whether by ambulance or otherwise
are covered if a professional ambulance service is used to transport the insured person between
the place where he/she is injured by an accident or has contracted a disease and the first
hospital where treatment is given. In case of emergency or major disability, special transport of
the insured person, including cost of accompanying person or attendant, will be allowed, up to a
maximum of US $7,500 (for coverage with an overall ceiling of US $50,000 a maximum of
US $10,000 will be covered). In addition, preparation and repatriation of the mortal remains to
the home country will be covered up to a maximum of US $7,500.
- Pregnancy/maternity:
a. Complications during pregnancy are covered within the overall limit of the policy;
b. follow-up checks during pregnancy are not covered;
c. costs for the baby are not covered;
d. IVF or other fertilization techniques are not covered.
3.3. Which services are not covered?
• Hearing aids;
• Spectacles;
• Fees for examination of the eye for glasses;
• Spa-cures;
• Periodic, preventive health examinations;
• Rejuvenation cures and cosmetic treatment. Cosmetic surgery is covered, however, when it is
necessary as a result of an accident occurred during the insured period;
• The consequences of sicknesses or accidents resulting from voluntary and intentional action on
the part of the insured person, e.g. attempted suicide, voluntary mutilation, and sexually
transmitted diseases;
• The consequences of wounds or injuries resulting from motor vehicle racing and dangerous
competitions in respect of which betting is allowed; normal sports competitions are covered;
• The consequences of insurrections or riots, if by taking part, the insured person has broken laws
applicable in the country concerned; the consequences of brawls, except in case of self-defense;
• The direct or indirect results of explosions, heat release or irradiation produced by transmutation
of the atomic nucleus or by radioactivity or resulting from radiations produced by the artificial
acceleration of nuclear particles;
• Aircraft accidents are only covered if the insured person is on board of an aircraft with a valid
certificate of air-worthiness, piloted by a person in possession of a valid license for the type of
aircraft in question.
4. Direct payment procedure
Cigna has a wide range of agreements with health care providers and facilities located all over the
world. These agreements may vary from one health care provider to another.
Besides direct payment, Cigna has negotiated specific tariff agreements and/or discounts with several
health care providers and facilities. Although you may not be aware of this at the time of admission, the
Frequently Asked Questions - Cigna Group Medical Insurance Policy for Interns, Fellows, Scientific Visitors, Training Course
and Meeting Paricipants of a United Nations Organization 4/8
August 2018
provider’s billing and our settlement will reflect these preferential rates, which are of benefit both to the
individual member and to the Cigna plan.
Frequently Asked Questions - Cigna Group Medical Insurance Policy for Interns, Fellows, Scientific Visitors, Training Course
and Meeting Paricipants of a United Nations Organization 5/8
August 2018
4.1. How does direct payment work?
It is highly recommended that, in case of a planned admission, Cigna duly receives at least 5 days in
advance a notification of hospitalisation from the member or the care provider. As such, all
administrative and financial aspects can be arranged well in advance, which guarantees a smooth
admission and avoids deposit requirements.
Certain providers automatically arrange direct payment by contacting Cigna. This means that they
immediately provide the information required for sending a guarantee of payment. Others prefer to
await our cost estimate form to complete and our accompanying letter, which already confirms
enrolment under the medical plan of Cigna.
In case of an urgent admission, the name and telephone number of the care provider suffice for our
Customer Service Representatives to initiate the direct payment procedure.
4.2. When does it apply?
In case of an inpatient hospitalization, i.e. a hospital admission including at least one overnight stay,
Cigna can set up a direct payment procedure with the care providers. To this end, the following
information should be provided to our medical adviser: the diagnosis and treatment, the exact dates of
admission and discharge as well as the detailed cost per type of care.
Please use the estimate form that can be downloaded from Cigna’s dedicated website. The completed
estimate form can be sent to:
• by email: admissions@cigna.com
• by post: Cigna, PO Box 69, B-2140 Antwerpen (Belgium).
If the diagnosis and treatment are covered under the terms and conditions of the plan and the
related expenses prove to be reasonable and customary, Cigna will send a guarantee of
payment to the care providers.
The hospital is requested to send all invoices directly to Cigna for direct settlement, which
leaves only the balance at your charge. You will be informed of the latter amount by means of
our corresponding settlement note.
Together with this settlement note we send you a copy of the corresponding invoices we
received directly from the provider. It is important that you check the hospital bill to make sure
that it corresponds exactly to the services given.
Here are 5 golden rules to check your hospital bill:
• Check the dates of your admission and discharge in order to verify whether the correct number of
days was billed;
• If you were in a semi-private room, make sure you have not been charged for a private room;
• Make sure you have not been charged twice for the same service, supplies or medication (e.g.
doctors' fees billed by both doctor and hospital);
• Did you receive every service, treatment and medication for which you are being billed (e.g. your
physician ordered an expensive test and then canceled it but you were charged anyway)?
• In case you are entitled to reimbursement from another insurance, is this clearly mentioned on the
invoice?
Outpatient expenses however, are first to be settled by the insured person, who can afterwards claim
reimbursement by means of the appropriate claim form, accompanied by the original, detailed invoices,
the proof of payment and - if possible - a detailed medical report. This claim form is available online
and can be downloaded from Cigna’s dedicated website.
Frequently Asked Questions - Cigna Group Medical Insurance Policy for Interns, Fellows, Scientific Visitors, Training Course
and Meeting Paricipants of a United Nations Organization 6/8
August 2018
5. How to submit claims
You can submit a claim by post or online.
IMPORTANT: in order to be able to submit your claim by post, please ask your
personal Cigna reference number first:
- Send an e-mail message to clientservice1@cigna.com asking for your personal CIGNA reference
number.
- Make sure to mention your full name, date of birth and the name of your sponsoring organization
you so we can easily trace your eligiblity details.
You will receive an e-mail from us with your personal Cigna reference number and a separate e-mail
with password. This will allow you to access the online claiming application allowing you to submit your
claim through the website (online or by post),or through mobile app. Here is how it works:
5.1. I want to submit my claim online:
• Scan all invoices and other supporting documents in advance.
o Scan each document as a separate file.
o Supported file types are .pdf, .jpg, .jpeg, .tif, .tiff, .gif and .png.
o Maximum file size is 10MB.
• Follow the steps of the claiming tool and attach all scanned documents.
• Submit your claim online.
• You can now track its status and view the claim summary in your claims overview...
• Please retain the original invoices and supporting documents for a period of 6 months after the
electronic submission of your claim.
5.2. I want to submit my claim by post:
• Follow the steps of the claiming tool to create a claim summary (pdf).
• Print and sign the claim summary.
• Attach all invoices and other supporting documents.
• Send the claim summary and supporting documents to Cigna by post.
• You can now track the status of your claim and view the claim summary in your claims overview.
5.3. I want to submit my claim by mobile app
• Download the “Cigna Health Benefits app
Frequently Asked Questions - Cigna Group Medical Insurance Policy for Interns, Fellows, Scientific Visitors, Training Course
and Meeting Paricipants of a United Nations Organization 7/8
August 2018
• After loggin in, go to the my claims section and take a picture of the invoices you want to submit
• Submit your claim online.
As you can see, claiming online is very easy. However, here are a few things you need to pay attention
to:
• Always submit your claims before the deadline defined in your plan!
• Submit one separate claim per patient.
• Fill in all the required fields (indicated by a red asterisk).
• Make sure you enter the bank details corresponding to the country in which your bank is located.
• If you are entitled to reimbursement by another Insurer, reimbursement by Cigna will be made as
appropriate on the basis of the costs actually incurred and the reimbursement obtained from other
sources.
• Please make sure that you keep copies of the invoices for your own file which is very helpful in a
case of loss.
6. How and when will my claims be settled?
Claims will be settled by cheque in US dollar within two weeks, following the receipt of satisfactory
written evidence by Cigna.
The conversion of medical expenses incurred in another currency than US dollar will normally be made
at the UN-operational rate of exchange, in force on the date the claim was signed.
7. How can I contact Cigna?
You can direct your queries on coverage, claims paid and reimbursements to Cigna's Medical Claims
Center:
• fellows@cigna.com
• Phone + 32 3 217 68 66
• Fax + 32 3 663 28 57
We herewith kindly invite you to have a look at your personal webpages at
www.cignahealthbenefits.com where you can find all relevant information about your health care
insurance plan.
The website shows you different tabs with information on coverage, direct payment, claims procedure,
forms, contact data and Cigna’s proprietary provider list.
8. How can I log in to my personal webpages?
If you haven’t claimed yet and do not have a personal reference number, log in as follows:
• Go to www.cignahealthbenefits.com and click Plan members.
• Enter ‘242/EXTIAP’ (upper case required) in the field ‘Personal reference number’;
• Enter ‘06/06/1963’ in the field ‘Password.
If you have already claimed and have received a personal reference number, log in as follows:
• Go to www.cignahealthbenefits.com and click Plan members.
• Enter your own personal reference number;
• Enter the password we have sent you by email.
Frequently Asked Questions - Cigna Group Medical Insurance Policy for Interns, Fellows, Scientific Visitors, Training Course
and Meeting Paricipants of a United Nations Organization 8/8
August 2018
Chief editor: Cigna International Health Services BVBA • Plantin en Moretuslei 299
2140 Antwerpen • Belgium • RPR Antwerpen VAT BE 0414 783 183 • FSMA 13799 A-R
‘Cigna’ refers to Cigna Corporation and/or its subsidiaries and affiliates. Cigna International and Cigna Global Health Benefits
refer to these subsidiaries and affiliates. Products and services are provided by these subsidiaries, affiliates and other
contracted companies and not by Cigna Corporation. ‘Cigna’ is a registered service mark.
This material is provided for informational purposes only. It is believed accurate as of the date of publication and is subject to
change. Such material should not be relied upon as legal, medical, or tax advice. As always, we recommend that you consult
with your independent legal, medical, and/or tax advisors. Products and services may not be available in all jurisdictions and
are expressly excluded where prohibited by applicable law.
Copyright 2020 Cigna Corporation
The following companies provide the insurance cover in Europe:
Cigna Life Insurance Company of Europe S.A.-N.V., registered in Belgium with limited liability, Avenue de Cortenbergh 52,
1000 Brussels, Belgium. Insurance company authorised in Belgium under licence number 938.
Cigna Europe Insurance Company SA-NV., registered in Belgium with limited liability, Avenue de Cortenbergh 52, 1000
Brussels, Belgium. Insurance company authorised in Belgium under licence number 2176.
Cigna Life Insurance Company of Europe SA-NV and Cigna Europe Insurance Company SA-NV., are subject to the prudential
supervision of the National Bank of Belgium, Boulevard de Berlaimont 14, 1000 Brussels (Belgium) and to the supervision of
the Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA), Rue du Congrès 12-14, 1000 Brussels (Belgium), in the field of
consumer protection
.
