Tag: uae health insurance

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Do I need insurance for domestic travel?

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Are you going on holiday in the UAE? If you’re not leaving the country, you may be tempted to skip travel insurance. However, you should still make sure that you are covered for other eventualities. Here’s why you need domestic travel insurance.

Your health insurance will cover health issues

If you fall ill abroad, you need travel insurance to access healthcare. This isn’t the case if you’re staying within the UAE as long as you have adequate UAE medical insurance policy (if you don’t, be sure to check out our health insurance comparison tool and purchase insurance – it’s essential that you have it!).

You may need insurance for stolen luggage

There are virtually zero domestic flights in the UAE (and the few that do exist are very expensive!), so if you are travelling by bus, it may be prudent to take out insurance that covers your possessions. You may also want to cover your possessions for theft from your hotel room. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you need a travel insurance policy – you could take out separate contents insurance for your luggage.

Don’t forget car insurance

Most people travel around the UAE by car. Whether you are using your own car or a hired vehicle, make sure that you have comprehensive car insurance to cover any breakdowns or accidents.

Travel insurance may cover delays or cancellations

Travel insurance may be useful if you experience any bus delays or cancellations, or any issues with your hotel. However, bus journeys are generally too cheap to warrant taking out insurance for, and hotels normally have their own kind of insurance policies in place. While travel insurance when venturing abroad is always a good idea, in the UAE you may be able to get away with separate insurance policies.

You will likely already have health insurance and car insurance (if you are driving your own vehicle), so you could pay separately to have your luggage insured and make sure that everything is secure at your hotel. This will probably help you save money rather than taking out a comprehensive travel insurance policy.

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Health Insurance

What are the key factors which affect your health insurance premium?

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One of the most common things for people around the UAE to take out is international health insurance. Having a comprehensive health plan in place not only gives you peace of mind that you are covered in the case of any emergencies but also that your family is too. Of course, the key thing is to shop around for the best health insurance package which gives the cover you need. The cost which any cover incurs will usually be decided on by insurance companies after finding out a few important details about you.

But what are the most important factors which could affect the price of cover?

Pre-existing conditions

Health conditions prior to opting for an insurance policy have a major impact on the health insurance premium. Some insurers provide 100% cover for the pre-existing conditions based on the severity of the health declaration and at a higher premium than standard policy whereas there are other insurers who cover pre-existing conditions only after a certain duration of waiting period, which is in most cases 6 months.

Hospital Network

Insurance companies operate a network of healthcare providers in the country of their operation. Network of hospitals and clinics have a major impact on the health insurance pricing as most insurers have a tiered network list. The different tiers of hospitals are separated by level of service, reputation & pricing. In order to avail direct billing services, the chosen hospital / clinic should be in the network list of the insurer against that health plan. For any treatment which is not in the network list of hospitals, the treatments are done on a cash reimbursement basis. It is therefore, highly advisable to choose an insurance company that covers major hospitals in their network to avail direct billing services.

Deductibles / Co-insurance

This is the amount that the insured person pays each time they avail the medical insurance benefits. The higher the contribution of the insured person, the lesser is the health insurance premium. It is usually either Nil, 10%, 20%, 20% max. AED 50 or AED 100.

Age & Gender

The health insurance premiums are rated on an age basis with elder people being quoted a higher premium amount. Older people also require more health care than younger people and so could cost insurance companies more.

Females usually having a slightly higher premium band owing to potential maternity claims.

Smoking

One thing that can really bump up health cover for UAE residents is whether you smoke or not. Those who do smoke cigarettes or use tobacco products will normally pay more for their cover. This is not only applicable if you currently smoke in many cases but if you have done so within the last 12 months. The reason for this is the greater chance people who smoke have of getting serious conditions like cancer which could then incur costly treatment.

How many people are covered

Many people with families will often take out a plan which covers everyone. This makes sense as you will often pay less than taking one out for each person individually. Putting more people on your health insurance though will bump up the monthly cost. This is because there are more people being protected on the plan which insurance companies may have to pay out against.

Compare health insurance in the UAE

Now you know what type of factors can influence how much you could pay for UAE health insurance, you need to find the best deals around. Rather than manually trawling the internet for hours though, why not let Compare Insurance help? We bring together all the most attractive health insurance plans around the UAE in one place for you to consider.

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Health Insurance

Does my UAE health insurance cover me against Covid-19?

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Global panic in stock markets around the world, as well as the World Health Organisation’s concerns about the spread of Covid-19 (coronavirus), are causing many UAE residents to query whether their current health insurance cover provides essential protection. If your existing health insurance is provided by your employer, you’ll need to speak with your manager or occupational health team about this; however, the CompareInsurance team has issued this update for anyone in the UAE with private health care insurance.

Worried about UAE health care insurance cover against Covid-19?

You will already have seen and read lots of news stories about Covid-19, and Gulf News is running a story about ways to protect yourself against catching the virus while at work or travelling. One of the most common queries about the virus relates to health insurances, and whether cover will be available. This will all depend on the type of medical health insurance you have. The quickest way to discover if you’re covered is to get in touch with your insurer direct – this is especially vital if you’ve recently returned from countries like China, Iran or Italy.

It’s likely that your health care insurance will cover you for treatment if you do develop Covid-19, as it is a viral infection. Some individuals do have medical exclusions noted on their Certificates of Insurance. For example, if your Certificate has an exclusion for any respiratory conditions or any pre-existing condition that could be impacted by Covid-19, then you may not be covered for diagnosis or treatment if you develop the infection.

Income protection insurance can help if you need to self-isolate

Many Dubai and UAE employers are stressing the importance of self-isolation if you have worries about visits to areas that have already been severely affected by Covid-19. One way to protect your income throughout any long term self-isolation is via an income protection plan. Just so long as your existing health insurances don’t include medical exclusions, an income protection policy could be the perfect insurance protection needed. You can browse our website to discover more, or chat with one of our experts online to discuss any issues or concerns you may have.

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