Why does everyone need a Health Insurance policy?

Everyone should have a health insurance policy because:

• Health insurance provides coverage against unexpected illness or accidental injuries to better manage your financial situation in case of an emergency hospitalization or treatment.
• Health insurance provides peace of mind as you are covered against unexpected situations and do not need to worry about spending your savings on treatment.
• Health insurance helps you to afford better healthcare services as you have the financial independence to seek quality healthcare services.

Types of Health Insurance policies available in Dubai

Regardless of the scarcity of up-to-date health insurance coverage and plans, mostly there are 3 types of health insurance products/plans available in our country, as per the following:

1. Hospital Reimbursement Plans

Hospital reimbursement plans are the most commonly used health insurance coverage by enterprises/corporates for their employees and workforce. These plans usually come with a yearly total coverage (sum-insured) amount up to which the policyholder or insured person can claim back the medical expenses incurred due to hospitalization. Sometimes, these plans come with bundled life insurance coverage and OPD (outpatient department services) coverage so that you can have peace of mind in case of any mishaps.

For example, if a reimbursement plan provides BDT. 50,000 yearly coverage for hospital treatment, and you had to spend BDT. 35,000 in total for an in-patient hospital treatment, the insurance company shall provide up to BDT. 35,000 as reimbursement against the claim. Some expenses may be excluded from the coverage on your policy, and those bills will not be paid back by the insurance company. Check the policy wording, coverage limits, and exclusions before buying a health insurance plan.

An important note to consider here is that reimbursement policies give back the medical expenses (subject to exclusion and deductibles) as per the hospital bill. You need to properly collect and preserve the medical documents and bills at the time of discharge to submit an insurance claim.

2. Hospital Cash Plans

Hospital Cash plans, or simply “hospicash” plans, are a more straightforward type of health insurance policy that provides daily fixed benefits per night of hospitalization. These plans do not consider the medical expenses incurred by the insured/policyholder. Instead, this health insurance policy provides a daily cash benefit to meet the lost income due to illness or accident. Often, these plans come with bundled life coverage, OPD coverage, and other benefits and are priced reasonably lower than reimbursement plans.

For example, if a hospital cash policy provides BDT. 3,000 per night of hospitalization, then you can get BDT. 9,000 benefits if you had to take treatment in a hospital for 3 consecutive nights. These plans usually come with waiting periods for claims and specific exclusions against particular diseases. So, please check the waiting periods and exclusions before buying a health insurance policy for yourself or your family members.

An important note to consider is that you must properly collect all medical documents, including hospital bills, to raise insurance claims. The insurance company will need these documents to verify the authenticity of your claim.

3. Critical Illness Plans

A critical illness (CI) plan is a type of health insurance policy that provides a fixed benefit or reimbursement of expenses up to the coverage amount in case of a diagnosis of a life-threatening illness. Hence it is called critical illness insurance. These plans usually cover severe or life-threatening diseases such as cancer, heart attack, stroke, coronary artery bypass surgery, major organ transplantation, etc. This list may include more diseases or illnesses based on the insurance company or plan. Critical illness health insurance policies are affordable and can be a lifesaver for you in an unfortunate situation.

Sometimes, critical illness coverages are bundled with reimbursement or hospital cash policies so that you can get complete coverage simply by purchasing a single policy. Otherwise, you can buy a reimbursement or hospital cash plan and get critical illness coverage separately to ensure better financial safety in an emergency.