UAE residents feel weight of higher medical insurance bills, as average hits Dh6,000/year

UAE residents feel weight of higher medical insurance bills, as average hits Dh6,000/year

Dubai: Average premiums on (non-basic) medical insurance in the UAE is closing in Dh6,000 for an annual cover, adding another layer of cost for residents to factor in. A standalone health insurance policy was averaging around Dh4,500 same time last year. Residents could even get coverage cheaper if they looked around. Now, that’s changed as a combination of higher costs for insurers, inflation in the healthcare sector, and mounting claims show up in what residents are getting charged for their annual health policies, whether for renewals or new ones. Even lower claims the previous year does not help much in the current renewal cycle. Medical insurance policies are getting costlier as hospital operators narrow down the number of insurers they work with. It has meant that residents need to pay higher if they want to keep going to their hospital of choice or consult with a particular doctor. “Hospitals being selective about their insurer partners has convinced residents to seek out policies that offer better coverage,” said a top official with a leading healthcare company. “And if they wanted to try out new hospitals, some of the biggest insurers would not even have coverage for them, insisting on at least