National health insurance policy law by year-end
By Hani M. Bathish
31 October 2004
DUBAI ā The National Health Insurance Policy Law could be on the books by the end of the year, as the draft of the proposed law has already been submitted, an official from the UAE Ministry of Health has confirmed but stressed that the National Health Insurance Authority, the body that would administer the national health insurance scheme, will take a little longer to set up and could be ready by mid-2005.
Khaleej Times reported earlier this year on the formation of a committee of five experts and MoH officials that will determine the shape and scope of the proposed National Health Insurance Scheme. The committee is planning to meet in the near future although no date has been set for that meeting that could be held after Eid Al Fitr.
The committee is focused on making sure that the low-paid expatriate workers are not denied access to health care, and that access to health care is not linked to the ability to pay for medical treatment.
Earlier this year Hassan Ahmad Alkeem, Undersecretary of the MoH, said that the much-awaited health insurance scheme would be implemented by the end of the year. This now seems far-fetched as the committee balks at the amount of work left to be done.
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), will be an independent health authority headed by the UAE Minister of Health, Hamad Abdel Rahman Al Midfa, and set up to supervise the health care facilities of the ministry, the delivery of medical services to the general public and the management of national health care spending.
Everyone in the health care industry would agree that the existing public health care system is both inadequate and overburdened, but the fact remains that there are many who doubt the feasibility of setting up the health insurance scheme by the end of this year, among these doubters are some in the insurance industry.
Health insurance will be compulsory for expatriates working and residing in the UAE, just as health cards are today. One of the suggested methods of financing the scheme is a two per cent payroll deduction from employees, to be matched by employers and the government. Sources have said this method of funding would generate around Dh1.2 billion in annual revenues, sufficient income to support the much-needed improvements to the public health infrastructure.