The UAE has an excellent standard of healthcare and is ranked 27th in the world by the World Health Organization. Dubai is home to some of the country's top hospitals and clinics. It is one of the most popular expat destination and is home to around 7.8 million expats. Everyone wants the best healthcare for themselves and their families and if you’re an expat you’ll need a medical insurance to have easy access to medical facilities in UAE.
Here’s everything you need to know about medical insurance in Dubai.
What is Medical Insurance?
A medical or health insurance is a type of insurance that covers medical expenses that may arise due to illness or sudden change in health of a person. These expenses can include hospitalization costs, cost of medicines, doctor consultation fees, medical treatments, follow-ups, surgeries, prescribed drugs, medical tests etc. One can even add optional benefits such as coverage for dental care, vision care and mental health services. Since life is unpredictable, we have no idea what will happen to us at a given point in time, medical insurance is very important and ensure that we don’t get any hurdles in receiving the best and urgent medical care.
Medical Insurance in Dubai:
In 2014, the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) implemented a new legislation which makes every Dubai resident and national to have a medical insurance. While UAE nationals are covered under government insurance programs like Enaya and Sa’da, expats need to avail health insurance services from any of the 46 health insurance companies in Dubai. The legislation also mandated that companies in Dubai must provide private health insurance plans for all their expat employees.
As we all know that getting an insurance brings paying hefty premiums with it. Which is why the DHA created the Essential Benefits Plan (EBP) for those with limited financial means. This program assists expats of lower salaries by providing affordable primary medical care coverage and ensures that low-wage workers, children, domestic staff, and non-working residents are protected and that insurers are restricted in the amount of profit they make. It is the lowest cost plan in Dubai and has a fixed cost of AED 550 and AED 650 per year.
Other than EBP, there are several other plans you can choose from that provide a wide range of benefits and network list covered by the insurance companies in Dubai. Employers must provide insurance to their employees and can choose a health insurance plan other than the EBP for employees. Although employers are required to provide medical insurance for their employees, it is not mandatory for them to provide insurance for family or dependents. Some employers may provide family coverage but, many others do not. The extent of coverage of your insurance is determined by your salary and designation. The extend of coverage and the type of policy determines the cost of your medical services.
Few popular Medical Insurance companies in Dubai:
• Axa Insurance
• Neuron
• Daman Health Insurance
• Dubai National Insurance & Reinsurance P.S.C. Health Insurance (DNIR)
• Met Life
• Allianz – Orient Insurance Healthcare Policies
• Aman – Dubai Islamic Insurance & Reinsurance Co. P.J.S.C
• Oman Insurance Company
• Arabian Scandinavian Insurance or Ascana – Takaful
Why you need medical insurance in UAE?
You have left your home country and have travelled thousands of miles away to live and work in UAE for a better job opportunity and lifestyle for you and your family. The last thing you would want is to face medical emergencies that will cause you stress and financial uncertainty as medical bills could be quite high. Which is why having a medical insurance makes it easy for you to avail any medical service without having to pay separately for it.
Having no medical insurance in Dubai will bring you fines:
UAE has made sure that medical insurance is a legal requirement and residents who do not have the required coverage are subject to a monthly fine. If you do not have medical insurance in Dubai, you can anticipate paying AED 500 per month for everyone in your household. And the government will not renew visas or grant you residency unless there is proof that adequate health insurance has been purchased.
Cost of getting a medical insurance in Dubai:
Most companies in UAE include medical insurance as part of their salary package. However, that’s not always the case. For a reasonably inclusive medical insurance you can expect to pay around AED 10,000 per year. Insurance premiums range from around AED 5,500 per year for a 30-year-old thirty- expat on an inclusive plan to around AED 33,500 for a family of four. A basic coverage plan for a family of four should be around AED 17,000.
Things to know:
• Basic services include- doctor consultations, regular medical check-ups, tests, medications. A portion of it can be shouldered by you which is called the co-insurance. The higher the co-insurance, the cheaper the premium will be.
• Inpatient hospitalization is also included in the mandatory health insurance scheme which allows you the access to certain hospitals within your insurance’s designated network list.
• Maternity cover is available for all married Dubai resident women. Pre-natal visits up to 8 times is available and child delivery is offered with a minimum benefit of AED 7,000.
• Optical and Dental care are not available in the minimum health insurance policy. Though, you can get a more inclusive package and avail routine services and tooth fillings
• Keep in mind which hospitals, clinics and doctors are covered by your insurance. Or else you’ll have to pay the charges separately from your pocket.
