Small Business Medical Insurance Plans – Cost, Benefits and Types

The above plans and premiums are for AED 1,000,000 Sum insured for 1 Adult of 30 Years for Dubai city.

Medical insurance in Dubai is no small matter now, considering the rising health risks all around us. On top of that, it is barely an optional thing either. Just like individual medical insurance plans for every resident of Dubai and the UAE, small business health insurance plans for businesses with 100-999 employees have been mandated in the UAE now. Apart from being a mandatory practice since July 2015, having a proper health insurance plan for the employees is one of the major responsibilities that every business owner assumes. Now that it has been established that your company needs small business health insurance in UAE, you need to figure out the plans, their benefits, and the price. This is essential to make sure that they align perfectly with the need of the organization and the employees.

Average Cost of Small Business Health Insurance Plans in UAE

As you may have already guessed, the cost of any group health insurance plan for small or bigger businesses depends on various factors. For example, the number of employees to be covered, the kind of the plans, added benefits in the medical insurance plans, optional benefits offered as basic benefits, etc. But to kick-start the discussion, the lowest price of health insurance UAE cover per employee that you will be taking on is AED 600 to AED 650. The government of Dubai has initiated the Essential Benefits Plan (EBP) for employees with a salary of AED 4000 or less as the minimum healthcare plan.

There is an alternate basic level health insurance UAE plan approved by DHA that costs around AED 850 per employee. It is generally suitable for employees that are salaried higher than AED 4000. The benefits are the same but with a bit more assured sum value for the employees. The benefits are not very comprehensive in basic level health insurance UAE plans though. Hospitalization will only be covered in case of an emergency, there is a rather small network of hospitals that the employees can choose from for treatment, and consultations are covered only in the case of a general physician. Co-payment in these plans is also a lot higher than any non-basic or non-essential medical insurance plan in the UAE.

Moving forward from here, the better health insurance in the UAE you choose, the more price you will pay. The next level of group medical insurance plan that your small business can opt for ranges somewhere between AED 1,500 to AED 5,000 per employee. This may seem like a rather expensive deal but the benefits are worth every Dirham. The network is wider, basic medical facilities are covered in all emirates, and options covers are also included. Your maximum expenses for health insurance UAE benefits per employee can go up to AED 50,000 for an all-inclusive healthcare plan.

Generic Medical Insurance Benefits Offered

There is a pre-decided list of basic benefits that are covered in most group medical insurance plans that are available in the UAE. Some of the below-listed benefits may also be available as an optional add-on or rider in the plan description. You can generally buy riders by adding a little more to the premium amount though. Let’s see the generic services covered in group insurance plans:

Hospitalization Cover: Most medical insurances in Dubai made for small businesses cover hospitalization costs for the employees. The basic and essential plans may only cover hospitalization in case of an emergency for all emirates including Dubai. However, plans that are on levels a little higher than basic ones cover hospitalization in all cases for the employees and in all emirates too. The claim process for both cases is generally the same and may include the HR department in the picture.

Basic Medical Coverage

Basic medical coverage is essential plans is only covered in Dubai however, the non-basic primary level medical insurances in Dubai cover medical facilities and services in all emirates for the covered employees. The majority of basic healthcare insurance plans for small businesses do not cover medical facilities when the employees are traveling abroad.

Supplement Dental Coverage

Dental cover is one of the major coverages that most well-designed healthcare insurance plans provide. Basic, essential, and primary level non-basic plans do not include dental cover as a general service for the employees though. This cover however may come with a co-pay option for the employees. But plans with higher premiums and cover may offer it as a fully covered benefit as well.

Supplement Optical Coverage

Just like dental, optical coverage is also one of the top add-ons that are offered in most group medical insurance plans as basic benefits. Then again, basic plans and essential medical insurance plans do not come with these covers – as a base benefit or as an add-on cover option.

Pre-Existing Diseases Cover

Just like most individual healthcare plans, pre-existing cover in group medical insurance plans starts after a basic waiting period of 6 months. Basic and essential healthcare insurance plans offer this cover on a co-pay basis while better options may have it in the fully-paid form.

Chronic Disease Cover

Chronic disease cover is much like the pre-existing diseases covered. The coverage starts after a waiting period of about 6 months and co-pay is applicable for basic and essential level healthcare insurance plans. Choosing a better option may have this service paid in full just like pre-existing disease cover.

Types of Small Business Medical Insurance Covers

The type of medical insurance cover you choose for your small business can also affect the overall health insurance UAE expenses. There are several kinds of covers that you can choose from depending on the facilities that you want to offer the employees:

Medical Insurance and Organisational Plans

This medical insurance in Dubai are designed in a rather clever manner to cover most of the basic healthcare facilities for the employees. The cost lies somewhere between AED 600 to AED 1500, depending on the benefits you choose and the insurance provider. The downside of these plans could be that every claim has to be approved by the insurer and there are often no specified geographical limits on the plan. Also, the employees can only get treated by a very limited number of approved doctors and hospitals.

Family Insurance Cover

Even though not a mandatory plan, family healthcare insurance plans are the most preferred group medical insurances in Dubai by most businesses. They cover not only the employees but their dependent family members as well. Most family group insurance plans allow up to three dependents for all the employees which can be changed at any point.

Hospitalization Cover

This may seem like a limited healthcare insurance cover but it covers a lot more than the basic medical insurance plans mandated by the government. However, the services are limited to hospitalization and related benefits only. Other basic facilities like consultations are not covered by this plan.

Pre-Existing Illness Only Cover

A good cover in its basic form but it is only offered to companies with a maximum of 25 employees or so in general. Limited coverage is provided to the employees for a few pre-decided pre-existing conditions and chronic diseases in this health insurance UAE cover.

Medical History Disregard Cover

Medical history disregard cover is one of the most exclusive and expensive group medical insurance cover an organization can go for. It disregards most of the pre-existing diseases, chronic diseases, and critical illness diseases and covers the employees completely for several diseases.

Large Corporate Policies

This plan is most suited for and opted by companies with operations in several countries at a time. The plan covers most national and international healthcare benefits that are required in a basic healthcare plan with good coverage. It is generally available for organizations with 50 employees or so.

Conclusion

No matter what kind of requirements and demands you may have in mind for your group health insurance cover, UAE’s health insurance companies are more than equipped to take care of them. You can easily have a basic mandatory healthcare plan at a very low cost or opt for a slightly expensive one with value-for-money features. Either way, small business healthcare plans do not have to cost a lot to the business. If the business is rather new and still establishing, you can simply go with essential healthcare insurance and gradually build up to better plans. Considering that you will proceed with caution and buy after comparison, your small business can find suitable health insurance in the UAE with no trouble at all.