Employers
and sponsors who have not yet purchased health insurance for their employees
and their dependents, respectively, will have to start paying penalties from
the end of this year, with no further extensions to be given, a top Dubai
Health Authority (DHA) official has said.
Since
the roll-out of the Dubai Health Authority’s (DHA) mandatory health insurance
scheme, which is in line with the Health Insurance Law No. 11 of 2013, all
Dubai visa holders must have had access to medical insurance by June 30, 2016,
but 12 per cent of the population have still not been covered, said Dr Haidar
Al Yousuf, Director of Health Funding at DHA
“There
will be no more extensions given as the deadline was actually in June 2016.
Those who haven’t purchased a health insurance for their employees and
dependents are in violation of the law. What was extended earlier was only the
deadline on penalties, but by the end of this year, the fines will become
active,” he said.
Up
to date, he said, 88 per cent of the target population in Dubai, almost 3.5
million people, are already benefiting from the mandatory health insurance.
“Over the next month, the remaining 12 per cent need to have the insurance or
their employees or sponsors will be liable to penalties after that.”
Dr
Yousuf was speaking on the sidelines of the 3rd annual health insurance
congress held in Dubai on Thursday, which was held under the theme of
‘Innovation and Sustainability’ and which addressed the tremendous
opportunities as well as challenges that await Dubai ahead of the final
systemic implementation of the mandatory health insurance.
“People
need to start thinking [in the right way], because the fines are more expensive
than the cost of insurance itself. The fine is Dh500 per month per employer,
and the basic benefit package starts from Dh550 person per year. It makes more
sense to purchase that insurance as it protects not only the employee but also
the employer,” Dr Yousuf said.
The
law mandates health insurance for everyone, the responsibility for providing
the insurance lays with the employers first, and for those who don’t have
employers, it lays with the sponsor. The law also mandates tools that ensure
people do get the health insurance, so it became linked to the residency visa
process. The law also prohibits the employer or sponsor from deducting the
amount of premium money from the salary of the employee. It is illegal by law
and punishable, he explained.
Speaking
further about the ‘dependents’ category, making up one million of the
population, which includes spouses, children and domestic workers such as
houseboys, maids and nannies, he said it is the responsibility of the employee
himself if his employer doesn’t provide insurance to his dependents to purchase
insurance for them. Only less than 30 per cent of dependents of employees are
currently covered by companies.
“The
government has ensured that there are affordable packages in the market,
starting from Dh600. With around Dh2,000, the dependents can all be insured. It
is an affordable amount. The essential benefit plan covers doctors’ visits,
referral to specialists, surgical operations, maternity, emergency services,
investigations, medication and all benefits required.”
There
have been lots of cases where uninsured dependents have fallen sick and
required to pay huge bills, he said.
“We
have seen many cases where people had a housemaid without a health insurance
who suddenly fell sick and her hospital bill went up to Dh60,000, which they
had to pay. Recently, we had seen a case with an Emirati family whose housemaid
went into the intensive care unit (ICU) and had a very complicated case. Their
total bill was Dh165,000 and it was fully covered by insurance. He only paid
Dh500 as the deductible,” he said.
The
law was designed to make sure the entire system is sustainable and no one party
falls short of cash as result of having to pay for health care, he added.
In
regards to utilising innovation in the health insurance sector, Dr Yousuf said
the DHA has electronic systems that work to ensure people are protected, have
access to their health care package and understand how to use it.
“We
have specifically designed a complaints portal called iPROMeS, where any person
who is not satisfied with the services provided by the insurance company can
reach us directly.”
Also,
Dr Yousuf advised people to have a look at the packages from all insurance
companies licensed by DHA through www.isahd.ae and choose their best options.
The
congress was hosted by Gulf Medical University (GMU), which is owned and run by
Thumbay Group, in association with Aafia Medical Billing Services. The event
was presided by chief guest Shaikh Mohammad Maktoum Juma Al Maktoum, Chairman
of MBM Groups, and attended by industry leaders and policymakers representing
the government, and health care industry including insurance providers and
hospitals.
Dr
Yousuf addressed delegates advising them to focus on the dependents category in
the market and to appeal to them and provide them with cost-effective packages
that deliver good quality of care to people.
