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29 March 2024

Dubai names firms eligible to offer mandatory health insurance

Published
By Staff

Dubai Health Authority announced the names of the approved insurance companies ahead of the roll-out of the mandatory insurance scheme. All 43 health insurance companies and 7 participating insurers (those companies who underwent additional qualification criteria to provide essential cover to lower paid workers) received the mandatory Health Insurance Permit (HIP).

Only those companies with a valid permit are eligible to provide insurance cover as part of Dubai’s Mandatory Health Insurance Scheme which is being rolled-out in phases until mid-2016. The scheme is known as ISAHD which stands for Insurance System for Advancing Healthcare in Dubai and also means happiness in Arabic

Insurance companies who qualified as Participating Insurers to provide essential health benefits (EHB) package to resident employees with salaries below Dh4,000 underwent a rigorous assessment procedure to ascertain their ability to provide an insurance package at an affordable rate.

The premium for this package will range between Dh500-700 per person per year. The objective of the essential benefits plan is to provide adequate cover at a reasonable cost to employers. DHA recognises that in doing so, insurers also have to make a reasonable profit. Only those capable of handling volume business and who can operate effectively over the long term can make the system sustainable. Consequently they are required to meet additional standards. Those companies that met the standards with the highest quality have been awarded Participating Insurer status.

Several requirements were taken into consideration before granting the health insurance permit to companies. These included ensuring companies utilise the DHA claims management platform (eClaimlink.ae) possess all necessary licenses to operate, that they have adequate standards of customer service, complaints handling, data security and customer communication processes as well as financial performance.

In terms of the roll-out of the scheme, Haidar Al Yousuf, Director of Health Funding at the DHA said that successful HIP applicants are already providing cover or administering health insurance portfolios.

“DHA is presently working with the seven Participating Insurers over the next month or so as they develop their product and their marketing plans to ensure that employers will have access to the essential benefits plan as quickly as possible.”

He said that the roll-out will take place in phases: “Companies with 1,000 or more employees will have to cover their staff before the end of October 2014. Companies with 100 to 999 employees will have until the end of July 2015 and companies below 100 employees have until end of June 2016 to cover their employees. All spouses, dependents and domestic workers will also have to be covered by June 2016. They can start providing cover earlier, however, these dates are deadlines they must meet.”

He added: “Over the next two years, we will begin to see the immediate benefits of the mandatory health insurance scheme as and when its phased roll-out takes place.”

List of Approved Insurance Companies:


1. Abu Dhabi National Insurance Company

2. Abu Dhabi National Takaful Company-Takaful

3. Adamjee Insurance Co. Ltd.

4. Al Ain Ahlia Insurance Company

5. Al Fujairah National Insurance Company

6. Al Hilal Takaful - Psc

7. Al Khazna Insurance Company

8. Al Sagr National Insurance Company

9. Al Wathba National Insurance Company

10. Al-Buhaira National Insurance Company

11. Al-Ittihad Alwatani General Insurance Company

12. Alliance Insurance Company

13. Metlife Alico

14. Orient Insurance Company

15. Arabia Insurance Company

16. Arabian Scandinavian Insurance Company

17. Axa Insurance 

18. Dar Al Takaful (P J S C)

19. Dubai Insurance Company

20. Dubai Islamic Insurance & Reinsurance Co (Aman)

21. Dubai National Insurance And Reinsurance Co

22. Emirates Insurance Company

23. Green Crescent Insurance Company

24. Insurance House - Psc

25. Iran Insurance Company

26. Islamic Arab Insurance Company (Salama)

27. Jordan Insurance Company Ltd

28. Methaq Takaful Insurance

29. National General Insurance Company

30. National Health Insurance Company (Daman)

31. National Life And General Insurance Company Saoc

32. National Takaful Company - Watania

33. Noor Takaful Family

34. Oman Insurance Company

35. Qatar Insurance Company

36. Ras Al Khaimah National Insurance Company

37. Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance (Middle East) Ltd

38. Saudi Arabian Insurance Company

39. Takaful Emarat - Insurance

40. The New India Assurance Company Limited

41. Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Company Limited (Dubai Branch)

42. Union Insurance Company

43. United Insurance Company
 
List Of Seven Participating Insurance Companies:

• Axa Insurance

• Ras Al Khaimah National Insurance Company

• National Health Insurance Company (Daman)

• Oman Insurance Company

• Arab Orient Insurance Company

• American Life Insurance Company

• Takaful Emarat - Insurance

What the essential health benefits package includes:

This is the minimum insurance cover that every employer/ sponsor will have to provide his employees/dependents. The DHA encourages companies to provide additional benefits and cover the dependents of employees as well. EHB covers:

• Access to general physician/ family physician.

• Referral to specialists.

• Surgical procedures.

• Laboratory services: Tests and investigations provided to help a doctor diagnose an injury, illness or condition, or to monitor the effectiveness of a particular treatment.

• Emergency services: Medical attention required for conditions that could lead to serious disability or death if not treated immediately, such as accidents or sudden illness. Prior authorization is not required for such cases.

• Maternity care: Medical care that women receive during pregnancy (prenatal care), throughout labour, delivery and post-delivery.

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