UAE: Mandatory health insurance for Northern emirates to be rolled out from Q1 next year

Mandatory health insurance for the Northern Emirates is expected to be rolled out in the first quarter of 2023.

Industry executives say that they’re receiving not just inquiries from the companies but some of the firms have already started to insure their employees.

“As of now, mandatory health insurance is expected to be rolled out by end of Q1 2023. We have been getting inquiries and in fact have insured a lot of groups from the Northern Emirates,” said Hitesh Motwani, chief marketing officer, InsuranceMarket.ae.

Currently, health insurance is mandatory in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

In Abu Dhabi, employers and sponsors are responsible for providing health insurance coverage for their employees and their families. In Dubai, employers are required to provide health insurance coverage for their employees. Sponsors are required to get insurance coverage for their resident dependents.

Echoing comments of his industry peer, Toshita Chauhan, business unit head for health and motor insurance at Policybazaar UAE, confirmed that they’re also getting queries from the Northern Emirates and inquiries should start increasing as soon as the implementation date is announced by the authorities concerned.

Chauhan added that there is no firm date yet announced but health insurance could soon become a reality in the Northern Emirates in the first quarter of 2023. “The competent authorities are working towards building a comprehensive plan to make it a reality in the first quarter,” he added.

Premiums

Chauhan said health insurance plans are expected to start from Dh650 and will go up to Dh3,000 per member depending on the coverage level chosen.

Hitesh Motwani added that the range of insurance premiums is quite wide and depends on the type of coverage.

“As of now, the Northern Emirates plans don’t have a minimum level of cover like the Dubai or Abu Dhabi plans which allow insurers to price very aggressively. The premium for Northern Emirates policies starts at Dh400-plus VAT and can go even lower if the groups are bigger in sizes,” Motwani said, adding that as compared to the basic coverage plan of Dh650 for Dubai, Northern Emirates policies generally start at Dh400 for the basic coverage.

He suggested that if regulators set a requirement of a minimum level of cover, this may impact the premiums too.