The complicated mechanism of safety insurance within TAU

Working in optimal conditions, without risks (as much as it is humanly possible) is very important for anyone. Our precious time and efforts would not be safe without proper guarantees for a legit working environment. And TAU takes this matter very seriously: the institution makes sure that everyone on campus is insured against any kind of trouble happening while studying/working on campus.

With this post, we want to clarify the intricated mechanisms by which TAU offers protection to all of us. There are different approaches according to the type of student/postdoc you are. Let's see.

If you are a regular student (Israeli or international), your insurance on campus is paid by the so called " security fee" that each one has to pay every year and it is displayed on MyTAU platform. In order to be insured, this fee has to be paid by the student themselves directly through the platform, with a credit card. Therefore,PhD students are insured this way.

As members of SEGEL (the Teaching and Research Faculty Organization, aka the labor union for the early researchers and lecturers) master and PhD students are provided - for free - with an extra basic insurance that might complement the private one we have. The good news is that this kind of insurance can cover also the spouse or the children (in general the immediate family) of the insured, provided that this latter one requests the extension on the behalf of their family members.

The postdocs instead receive the University insurance as a benefit, since TAU pays their insurance directly, without requiring any action from them. Therefore, postdocs don't pay the security fee from their pockets.

For the curent year, TAU has updated the insurance contract with Harel company, and SEGEL has sent out the copy of the contract to all the postdocs, with several details on the coverage. See the contract here.

It is important to understand that the insurance provided by TAU covers ONLY what happens within the campus and while working. For the rest of our staying in Israel, we must stipulate a private contract with one of the insurance companies (locals or abroad) that cover everything happening to us, and all of our basic medical necessities, year after year. There is no way around, this insurance is mandatory and essential to get our visa renewed.

Importantly, the exceptions listed in the private insurance policy are typically NOT covered by TAU. Things such as pregnancy expenses, delivery or mental health are out of the basket. Nevertheless, we know that in the case of mental health medical treatment (meaning psychiatric treatments) TAU can cover the expenses by request, since the University is responsible for the lack of coverage for these essential treatments. Maternity is another story and we invite you to read our dedicated post on this blog.

A starkly different case regards the international undergrads, the internship students and probably some other specific study programs attendees, where among the tuitions, one deposits money for their health insurance, which TAU itself provides with a contract with an insurance company. In this sense, one is insured 360 degree by an insurance plan mediated by TAU. We stress here again that these are exclusive to the students and not the researchers.

We hope to have clarified the matter. For any further inquiry you might have, we recommend you to contact either SEGEL or the Lowy International School representatives.