ICMIF member Seguros Unimed, the financial and insurance arm of the Unimed network of cooperatives in Brazil, now wants to protect medical devices such as MRI, CT scans and ultrasounds for times when they are out of action for maintenance. The cooperative already insures 6.6 million lives through various types of coverage and is now branching out into providing cover for the machines and devices used in healthcare and medical settings.
Through this new business model, Unimed will pay financial compensation to clinics and hospitals when the equipment is under maintenance. The insurer says its aim is for this new market to account for 5% of the company’s turnover by the end of 2025 (approximately BRL 375 million based on last year’s revenue).
“The market does not contemplate these specific demands often. And we understand that an initiative of this type is very important. The cost of idle equipment is very high,” said Helton Freitas, President of Seguros Unimed. “There is nothing on the market today that guarantees financial protection for service providers.”
Within the Unimed system in Brazil, there is a company, UniBlue Locações, which rents out medical equipment and furniture. It will be these devices that will be covered by Seguros Unimed.
Demand for this new coverage is expected to be high as the Unimed system has 166 hospitals in Brazil and 120,000 cooperative doctors, all of whom are potential customers for this innovative new insurance cover.
