Dubai to Have Mandatory Employer-Supported Health Care

On June 9, 2008, the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) announced the new Health Funding System to be put in place beginning on January 1, 2009. The system will be compulsory for all Dubai citizens and residents.

As described by the DHA:

Employers will contribute the majority of the funding provided through a flat-rate Health Benefits Contribution, paid on behalf of their employees. Where there is no employer, the individual resident in Dubai will be responsible for the payment for dependents and those they sponsor. The insurance industry. Authorised insurance companies will distribute health insurance schemes which will incorporate the new funding system. The insurance industry will also continue to offer top-up health insurance for those who want healthcare cover above the standard of the basic public health system.

Employer payments will be about $140 to $220 per employee and where there is no direct employer, the resident will be responsible for the payment for dependents.

The HFS is expected to be fully-implemented in four years. The health care everyone will be entitled to under the plan will include: primary outpatient care, prescription drugs, long-term community care, childhood immunization, children's dental care, mental health, ambulatory specialist care, non-emergency inpatient care and acute and emergency care.