When you relocate to a new country you have to make sure that you will receive the best medical care. In most cases, expatriate employees coming to work in Dubai have health insurance provided by their employer. If this is not the case or if you are bringing your family with you, you will need to purchase a plan on your own. It is possible for you to use the government healthcare services by obtaining a local health card, but most expatriates prefer to use private insurance so that they can get treatment in private clinics and hospitals. Here is a quick guide on how to buy health insurance in Dubai.
As a start, you have to decide where to get your health insurance from. There are a number of international companies offering plans in Dubai. You can readily check these out, especially if you have been insured with one of them. It is essential for the company to have high ratings and good reputation, so that you can ensure that all your costs will b covered promptly.
The cost is the next aspect you have to consider. The standard health insurance plans in Dubai is not very expensive, especially for workers coming from western countries. You can expect to pay around 180 Dhs per month. This is quite reasonable. However, if you will need special care the price can go up dramatically. The full dental insurance plans tend to be costly as well. Hence, it is best to obtain quotes or at least talk to representatives of insurance companies to make the right choice.
The standard factors such as previous medical history, age and occupation determine the price of the health insurance you will be offered with. In some cases, the plans in Dubai do not cover your treatment for pre-existing medical conditions. This is a sensitive issue that you have to look into. Generally, the older you are, the more you will have to pay for coverage, but there might be age limitations that you have to take into account. It is possible for the insurer to refuse to extend your insurance once you reach a certain age. You have to check whether your profession is considered a high-risk one for insurance purposes.
Check carefully what the policy you are offered with covers. You have to make sure that health checks are present. Consider how much you have to pay out of your pocket for a visit to the doctor’s office. Any hospital treatments should be covered, but there might be limitations that you have to check for explicitly. In some cases, there might be a limit to the costs for a particular treatment. The limits are usually applicable within a year’s time. In addition, there are health insurance plans that set an upper limit for the days of hospital stay. All of these can turn out to be quite serious issues at one point, so it is best to pay slightly more just to be on the safe side.
Last, but not least, if you decide to buy international health insurance in Dubai, you have to make sure that it will provide you with coverage at the place where you will go next. In some cases, the international policies exclude certain countries such as the US.
