Medical (Health) Insurance in Dubai

Dubai visa holders who have not obtained health insurance cover will no longer be able to renew their visas.

Also, no new visas will be issued if the individual concerned does not have health insurance coverage in place at the time of visa stamping or renewal.

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Call us for your Medical insurance:

Qusais (Al Nahda-2) Near Zulekha Hospital: 04-239 1302, 055 273 2295, 055-345 7829
Qusais (Al Nahda-2) Behind NMC Hospital: 054 4170879

Bur Dubai: 04-252 22 22, 055-9105757

Hor Al Anz: (Deira): 04-265 8373, 050-715 0562

Qusais (Damascus St): 04-258 6727, 054-300 5931

For Collection & Delivery Service; call 04-239 1302, 055 273 2295, 055-345 7829

For Family visa service of all other emirates, call: 04-252 22 22, 055-9105757
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Cost for Medical Insurance in Dubai


Company employee: Dh589.00, If the salary of employees is above Dh4000, then the insurance premium will increase to Dh774.00

Housemaid: Dh589.00

Partner/Investor till 65 age: Dh930.00, after 65 years of age: Dh4239.00

Housewife till 45 age: Dh1771.50, After 45 years of age: Dh695.25 

Children till 18: Dh695.25

Parents under the sponsorship of Son/daughter: Dh4239.00Husband sponsored by wife : Dh695.25


Linked with Visa Renewal: According to a circular issued by the DHA last month, the system has been developed to monitor and ensure compliance with the law. It's also designed to detect gaps in insurance. For example: if an individual's health insurance policy expires on February 1, 2017 and their visa expires on January 1, 2017, when they renew the visa during January 2017, it will be renewed without any issues.

However, if the individual does not maintain constant health insurance coverage, the system will track and log the gap in insurance upon the next visa renewal, ie, if they were uninsured for two months between visa renewals, they will incur a fine of Dh1,000 (Dh500 per month) at the time of renewal.

The 12 Companies that provide the essential benefits plan package include:
Noor Takaful Insurance, Abu Dhabi National Insurance Company and Union Insurance, Axa Gulf Insurance, Takaful Emarat, Dar Al Takaful, Orient Insurance, Ras Al Khaima Insurance Company, Daman Health Insurance, Oman Insurance Company, Metlife, National General Insurance.

Employers can choose health insurance packages from 45 approved insurance companies that have Dubai Health Insurance Permits.

Employer's Responsibility:
 It is the responsibility of the employer to provide medical care facilities to its employees in the UAE. This is in accordance with Article 96 of the Federal Law No. 8 of 1980 regulating Employment Relations in the UAE (the 'Employment Law'), which states: "An employer shall provide his employees with medical care facilities corresponding to the standards laid down by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs in co-operation with the Ministry of Health."

Fine: Fine for not renewing insurance card: Dh500. This fine will be deducted automatically via the electronic system at the time of renewing of the visa.
The fine will be imposed on the sponsors and the employers and not the employees. It will be added to the visa renewal and cancelation fees of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs.

Essential Benefits Plan:
 Under the DHA scheme, special consideration has been given to employees earning less than Dh4,000 a month. This category of employees must be insured with one of the seven approved insurers authorised to offer the Essential Benefits Plan.
This package covers many services that include maternity, emergency, medical tests, referrals, medication etc.

Minimum Basic Package, which has a cover of up to Dh150,000, with premiums ranging between Dh550 and Dh750 per year. This includes all the blue collar workers, including domestic help, maids and nannies.


Wife & Children: Dh1750 or a little more unless the dependants are above 60 years of age.

Parents and individuals above 60: Whether employed or a dependant, with or without a history of diseases: Dh4,000. The pre-existing conditions will not be covered for a period of six months and after that everything will be covered.


Hepatitis C and three cancers now covered on basic plan
Dubai residents are now covered for screening and treatment of three types of cancers and Hepatitis C under an Essential Basic Plan (EBP).

the Basmah Initiative covers colorectal, breast and cervical cancers for EBP policyholders. Screening and treatment cover for these cancers is provided only at the Cancer Centre of Excellence, Dubai Hospital. Additionally, EBP policyholders also have access to screening and treatment of Hepatitis C.

How it works?
Starting from January of this year, all 12 DHA approved insurance providers offering the EBP asked policyholders to pay an additional amount of Dh19 and Dh18 for Cancer and Hepatitis C (HCV) treatment respectively. This sum Dh37 (plus VAT to total Dh39.85) paid to the insurance provider annually, is pooled into DHA’s trust account and helps cover the additional cost of these three types of cancer treatment and the HCV virus, when a patient surpasses the minimum insured sum of Dh150,000 for Low Salary Band (LSB) workers. 

If an EBP policyholder goes to his family physician for a routine examination and during that if the general practitioner suspects any of these cancers, he can refer the patient for cancer screening at the Cancer Centre of Excellence at Dubai Hospital.

If the patient is found positive with any of the three cancers, he is enrolled in the Cancer Patient Support Programme (Cancer PSP). His details go into the DHA patient tracking and follow-up centre which is automatically notified and they ensure that the treatment process is smooth and streamlined.

In the case of the above three cancers, there is unlimited coverage. Once the patient exhausts their sum insured, the funds from the DHA’s trust account cover his treatment costs. “The usual coinsurance for EBP which is 20 per cent of consultation and treatment fee will be applicable.

Hepatitis C
Patients of the HCV virus under EBP have to follow the same procedure. If a family physician during a routine check-up suspects symptoms of the HCV virus, he can refer the patient for additional screening. Once the screening is positive, treatment begins.

All medicines for HCV treatment are covered for the patient. 
The only condition is that the patient must be a resident visa holder with a health insurance cover. An individual seeking a fresh resident visa, who screens positive for these ailments, will not be covered under this initiative.

What is the Basmah initiative?
Basmah initiative makes Dubai Health Authority the first government entity in the world to provide a complete spectrum of care from screening to treatment for the three types of cancer under the essential benefit plan. Prior to the scheme, cancer coverage was limited to Dh150,000. Now there are no sub-limits and coverage is unlimited.

Medical coverage
The EBP basic plan covers the following subject to an annual limit of Dh150,000 for all claims.
Basic
1. In-patient treatment non-urgent medical treatment including tests, surgeries, and diagnosis with 20 per cent payable by insured. This payable amount will not exceed Dh500 per encounter or a maximum of Dh1,000 per year.
2. Out-patient treatment Examination, diagnosis and treatment on a routine basis with 20 per cent payable by insured.
3. Lab tests, physiotherapy sessions (maximum six per year) and radiology tests with 20 per cent payable by insured
4. Preventive medicine or immunisation procedures for new-borns and children
5. Medicines  up to Dh1500 per person including 30 per cent payable by insured per prescription
6. Emergency health care and ambulance service during emergency.
7. Free screening and treatment for hepatitis C is included under the basic benefit plan of the Dubai Mandatory Health Insurance Scheme.

8. Free screening and treatment for three types of cancers and Hepatitis C.

Maternity:

1. Antenatal blood tests, three antenatal ultrasounds, eight pre-delivery visits with 10 per cent payable by insured.
2. Normal delivery costs up to Dh7,000 and emergency Caesarean costs up to Dh10,000 including 10 per cent payable by insured.
3. The new-born child is covered under mother's insurance scheme for 30 days from date of birth for neo-natal tests, screening, and other tests. Click here for more health coverage details.

Existing medical policies can continue in their present form until the first renewal date (no later than 12 months) after the applicable implementation date. After this, all benefits must be aligned with at least the mandatory minimum.

Employer Information Pack downloadable from www.isahd.ae

How it works?: There are two ways of applying for a new visa or renewal, manual or electronic. If it is manual the GDRFA asks for the insurance certificate copy to be attached with the application. In case the organisation is applying electronically (www.ednrd.ae) for new visas or renewals, automatically a window pops up on the screen asking for the insurance certificates of all the applicants. Scanned copies have to be uploaded to complete the application process.

Complaints and Feedback: DHA has launched a website ipromes.eclaimlink.ae for consumers to register complaints and provide feedback in case they are not getting all the services promised in their insurance package. The DHA will act on a complaint once it is registered electronically on this website.

The DHA website www.isahd.ae has a comprehensive list of all 46 registered insurance providers in UAE.

Certain conditions excluded: Some medical conditions are standard exclusions in insurance with some insurance companies; these include medical issues at birth, issues caused by medical procedures or research work, radiation, nicotine addiction, sex transformation, as well as hormone therapies, among others.

What does the essential health cover package cover?

The basic cover includes outpatient consultancy at clinics, referrals to specialist and for surgical and pathology investigations, maternity health cover, emergency visit to hospital and any surgeries required. While employers have group insurance schemes for their employees, a resident can shop for a tailor-made cover for his dependants that includes spouse, minors and domestic house help.

What is the maximum coverage and how much is a beneficiary expected to pay?

The beneficiary with basic insurance cover gets a maximum coverage of up to Dh150,000 and has to pay 20 per cent [at every visit to the doctor]. So, if he has an outpatient bill of Dh200 he will have to pay Dh40.

What is a special protection package?

The protection package mandates that although a beneficiary has to pay a minimum of 20 per cent of co-insurance payment in case of a hospital stay or surgery, this is capped at Dh500. So, if someone has major surgery amounting to Dh40,000, even those in the basic package would be expected to pay Dh8,000 as 20 per cent. But the protection package mandates a ceiling of Dh500.

What are the fines and penalties? What happens in case a person has just renewed his visa?

Linking the visa renewal to insurance is a check mechanism. But every individual in Dubai has to get the health cover by June 30. If he or she fails to do this, his employer will be fined for every month beginning from July until the time his visa comes up for renewal. If the individual is a freelancer or self-employed, he will have to pay the fines himself. There are monthly penalties which will be levied with retrospective effect from June 30. Fines can range anywhere between Dh500 per person per month. It is cheaper to get an insurance than to pay for default as the fines are far higher than the actual cost of the essential benefits package.

Although basic cover provides maternity benefits is it true that a woman who is pregnant at the time of getting the insurance will not be covered?That is true. Insurance is a protection or cover for future conditions or illnesses. So, even if a woman falls pregnant one day after getting the insurance she has to be covered. However if she subscribes to the cover after she conceives she will not be covered. In case of other conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and other lifestyle disease, the insurance will not cover these for the first six months after which all pre-existing conditions have to be covered.

What happens in case a blue collar worker has an accident or cancer?

The insurance company has to pay the bills up to the annual aggregate limit. It is Dh150,000 annually. Then insurance firms are linked to visas and the organisation has the right to take the decision of renewing the visa of an employee with an insurance renewal. But until the validity of the visa, his treatment episodes will be covered.

In the case of newborns who covers their medical expenses?

A newborn is covered under the mother's health insurance cover for 30 days after which the parents have to get the child an individual cover. The child's birth complications will be covered to the maximum aggregate limit of the mother's cover. However, this cover will not include congenital conditions such as cleft palate, club foot, Down's Syndrome and the like.

What about special needs children?

All special needs children have basic health requirements which will be covered by the regular health cover. Their requirements for flu, cough, cold and regular requirement will be covered. However, the insurance will not cover special services such as speech therapy, special school or physiotherapy.

Blue collar workers

Blue collar workers can get extended coverage in their home country, too.

Blue collar workers are now being offered an essential health benefit package by Takaful Emarat Insurance for Dh625 per annum that will provide them the same cover in their home countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal at no extra cost. Most South Asian workers come from these countries.

According to Dr Sanjay Patihankar, founder director of Third Party Administrator (TPA) for this insurance, said this is the first time that a UAE insurance has tied up with an international insurance provider, Vidal Net, that will give the workers a direct billing option in their home country. 

While some insurance companies do provide extension of health services for workers back home, this cover provides direct billing facilities which no other cover in this category provides. The worker will be able to get adequate health cover in their country using the same insurance card with the same aggregate annual limit, etc. In India, for example, beneficiaries of this insurance can go to any of the 25,000 clinics and hospitals across the country.

Such a cover can help the worker in seeking standard medical facilities while on annual leave at home. read more
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Are you planning to Set-up your business in Dubai? Call us for Setting up new business, LLC Formation, Amendment in existing license, PRO Service and Translation. +971 55-273 2295, 055-345 782904-239 1302 or mail your queries to visaprocess.ae@gmail.com

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