Jul 19, 2017
2066 Views
Comments Off on Moving to Dubai? Check your Health Insurance Plan

Moving to Dubai? Check your Health Insurance Plan

Written by

Dubai is a destination of choice for a lot of people looking to migrate to a different country for better job prospects & quality of life. Interestingly, expats comprise nearly 80% of Dubai’s total population of over 2 million. As per the Mercer’s 2017 Quality of Living Survey, it ranks as the best place to live in the Middle East and Africa region.
If you are moving to Dubai, one of the key things that you will need to consider is medical insurance . It is now mandatory by law to have sufficient health insurance before entering the country. You also need to ensure that the plan you take is the right fit for you and your family because medical costs in Dubai are quite high.
So here are a few quick pointers to help you with this step of your journey:

Dubai Health Insurance

Dubai Health Insurance

Adequate Coverage


It is now compulsory for all employers to provide a minimum insurance health cover for all employees (i.e. insurance coverage of AED1,50,000 at an annual premium of AED 500 -700). However, these insurance policies may be too basic and restrictive that you may want to take some additional coverage as well. These basic plans that are being provided by employers usually have very high co-payment terms (about 20%) and may have a lot of exclusions.
Rising cost of healthcare in Dubai is one of the biggest concern for expats. Though the quality of healthcare is world class, the cost of care makes it difficult to access for most people. Hence, ensuring adequate coverage should be a priority when taking an insurance plan.

Private & Public Health Insurance


You have two options for health insurance in Dubai – a government issued health insurance card or a private health insurance card. You can opt in for both, which will give you an access to a greater network of hospitals.
There are companies like bayzat.com that help you compare policies of various private insurance policies to help you with your decision.

Family & Dependants Cover


It is your responsibility to take health insurance for your family and dependents, but some companies may take policies that cover the employees’ families as well. You can check with your employer if your family is covered or if your plan can be enhanced at extra cost (top up plans) to cover them as well. If you are taking your domestic help along with you, you need to ensure adequate health insurance cover for them as well.

Health Insurance inclusions


Some medical plan inclusions that may be very crucial for you and need to be added to the plan would be as follows:

  • Coverage location within Dubai as well as rest of UAE. If you are going to travel a lot look at getting global or international coverage included.
  • Coverage of network of hospitals and specialists you are likely to visit.
  • Dental & Optical coverage that is often excluded from the basic plans
  • Maternity coverage if applicable.
  • Additionally, getting inclusions like medicine bills, preventive medical checkups, etc. can come very handy in keeping your medical overheads low.
  • Also check for coverage of any specific medical condition you would like covered, such as diabetes or hypertension.

Summary


Dubai is a land of opportunity and moving there can be a great step both personally and professionally. Though a basic insurance is mandatory for all, the limited coverage it provides may leave you with very high out of the pocket medical expenses. Getting yourself and your family adequately covered would be a safeguard against unforeseen medical circumstances while in Dubai, the 29th most expensive city in the world (Expatistan.com).

Article Categories:
Dubai City Guide

Comments are closed.