DHA announces list of approved insurance companies ahead of the roll-out of mandatory insurance scheme.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, April 17, 2014:  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 AED 4,000 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  AED 500-700 per person per year. The objective of the essential benefits plan is to provide adequate cover at a reasonable cost to employers.  DHA recognizes 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 1000 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.”