Dubai now requires every resident to have private health insurance. Find out what this means for expats moving to the emirate

  DUBAI is a popular destination of choice for expatriates looking to improve their quality of life and career progression, which explains the high expat ratio in this region—it is estimated that over 90 percent of the total population in Dubai are expats. As part of the Insurance System for Advancing Healthcare in Dubai (ISAHD) initative rolled out by the government of Dubai and the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), every Dubai resident is now required to have private health insurance. As of June 30, 2016, the law now prohibits uninsured individuals from entering the emirate. Anyone who fails to show proof of health insurance when visiting Dubai will likely be denied entry. To provide an overview on mandatory insurance law and the insurance options available to expats, Rob McBroom, Executive Editor at Pacific Prime, talks to Expat Media about what expats need to know about health insurance when moving to Dubai. Background on mandatory health insurance in Dubai The DHA reform was rolled out in several phases. The first phase was introduced in October 2014, and required all large companies with 1,000 or more employees to provide private medical insurance for them. The end of July 2015 saw the second phase of the DHA reform, which made it mandatory for medium sized companies with 100 or more employees to follow suit and do the same. The third wave of legislation was rolled out in June 30, 2016, and required that small companies, individuals, their dependents, and private employees (especially foreign domestic helpers) secure private health insurance. Expats moving to Dubai will also be required to show proof that they have private insurance that meets the minimum level of cover. Minimum level of cover Each resident in Dubai must secure health insurance that is compliant with the DHA guidelines on the minimum level of cover required, which entails the following: • An annual claims limit of Dh150,000 per person • Full coverage for pre-existing conditions (subject to a 6 month waiting period if the policyholder has not had previous medical coverage for this in the UAE) • Out-patient treatment with a 20 percent excess • In-patient treatment with a 20 percent excess and up to a maximum of Dh500 per visit • Maternity coverage of up to Dh7,000 covered for normal delivery, and up to Dh10,000 for C-section (deemed medically necessary) Penalties for non-compliance As of the time writing this article, there are no monetary fines for expats who do not obtain private health insurance, but it is their residency here that is at stake. As stated above, Dubai won’t issue visas for expats who don’t secure private health insurance, so it is of utmost importance that you secure private health insurance that is compliant with the minimum level of cover required. On the other hand, employers who fail to provide health insurance for their employees are subject to a number of hefty fines, which starts at Dh500 and go up to Dh150,000 for the first occurrence - repeat breaches to the mandatory health insurance law will result in a maximum fine of Dh500,000. Coverage for dependents Health insurance rules in Dubai has not made it mandatory for employers to provide health coverage that includes their employees’ spouses and dependents, where as this is the case in Abu Dhabi. This is mostly to avoid discrimination against job applicants who have a family. As of July 2016, employees are responsible for arranging coverage for their dependents within a specified grace period, otherwise they may be subject to pay a fine. Will I need top up insurance? Expats moving to Dubai who will have their health insurance provided by their employer may also want to consider adding on some benefits to their plan. Top up insurance is typically purchased with the goal of making up for the deficiencies in a policyholder’s current health insurance plan. Virtually every plan out there is different, and you may find that the plan provided by your employer offers skimpy coverage that only meets the minimum level of cover required by the DHA, and chances are this may not be enough for you or your family members. Additionally, dental treatment, orthodontics and ophthalmic treatment are often not covered in plans, although these add-on benefits can be purchased at an additional premium if you require them. What about geographical coverage? In terms of geographical coverage, the DHA reform only requires residents to secure local coverage. The good thing about this is that local plans are inevitably attached with much lower premiums (around Dh650 to Dh725 annually) than premiums charged by international private health insurance plans, simply because the former only provides coverage that is limited to one region. If you’re on a strict budget and spending most of your time within the UAE, then this plan should be enough for you. International health insurance and travel insurance plans If you are a frequent traveller and would like global coverage, you may want to consider international health insurance plans as they are designed specifically for the needs of expats, and provides a higher degree of flexibility in seeking healthcare worldwide. Another option is to purchase travel insurance every time you fly out of the UAE, but please note that this type of insurance is only designed to cover medical emergencies and repatriation costs, is short term in nature, and is often attached with very low coverage limits.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