Final health insurance deadline to be announced soon

The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) that had announced a period of reprieve for sponsors yet to obtain mandatory health insurance for dependants and employees is expected to announce the final deadline this month, a senior DHA official told Gulf News. No further grace period will be offered.

The initial deadline ended on June 30, 2016, but was extended for six months. December 31 was the extended deadline to buy health insurance for spouses, children and domestic workers, but the DHA offered a reprieve after that date as insurance companies could not handle the surge in demand.

Now, failure to obtain insurance will see sponsors of dependants being Dh500 per month with retrospective effect from June 30, 2016.

Emiratis in Dubai are covered under government insurance programmes like Enaya and Sa’ada.

Dr Haidar Al Yousuf, Director of health funding at DHA and the architect of the mandatory health insurance blueprint, said that less than 2 per cent of residents remain to be covered. In an interview with Gulf News, Dr Al Yousuf sets the record straight on the current situation.

Who are the 2 per cent of people waiting to get health insurance?

It is a mixed bag. These include few small companies, spouses, parents and domestic workers.

Many residents have complained that there has been an unnecessary delay in securing insurance cover for senior citizens as many companies were rejecting applications on some grounds.

The Essential Benefit Package (EBP) is designed to cover the essential health needs of a person and has been made affordable. Six out of nine companies offering EBP have basic coverage plans for senior citizens. Those buying coverage for parents need to study these before applying. The basic plans for senior citizens — those above 60 years of age — begin at Dh2,500 and go up to Dh7000. Top up options and additional benefits are available at higher premiums.

What is the chief complaint when it comes to senior citizen’s package?

People who are complaining often expect expensive hospitals to be included in the basic plan, which is not possible. They need to align their expectations with the premiums they are paying. For example, recently a 100-year-old lady purchased basic benefit coverage with one of the insurance companies at the basic rate.

Has mandatory health insurance been linked to visa renewal?

Yes, although insurance coverage is linked to immigration, they are not levying fines right now. People waited till the last moment to apply and the insurance companies are deluged with backlogs of last year and still in the process of clearing those. We are aware of that. However, we encourage them to comply at the earliest.

Has there been a fall in basic health insurance premiums as more applicants would mean better prices, as promised earlier?

In the EBP, for those earning below Dh4,000, the premiums have come down to Dh550 in some companies.

What would you like to tell people?

I would advise people to do due diligence — log on to www.ishad.ae and study all the insurance options before making a choice. However, this has to be done quickly as the deadline will be announced very soon.

Mandatory health insurance law

The Dubai Health Insurance LawNo 11 of 2013 that came into effect in January 2014 mandates that all nationals and residents with a Dubai visa should have compulsory health insurance cover. The last deadline for it is June 30, 2016, by which time every person with a Dubai visa must have this insurance.

Phase one that covered companies with 1,000 or more employees ended on October 31, 2014

Phase two that covered all companies with 100-999 employees ended on July 31, 2015.

Phase three covered companies with 100 or less employees and included every resident, including domestic workers and dependants of employees, who had to have cover by June 30, 2016.

source: GULF NEWS