Relocating To Dubai: How To Deal With Family Health Insurance
Dubai is one of the world’s most exciting places to live. This city offers lots of opportunities in terms of work and excitement to balance your work life with some fun entertainment.
Dubai’s also a great family-friendly place to live and it isn’t any wonder that many people with kids are moving to this Middle Eastern hub. If you are relocating to Dubai with the family, one of the most important things to deal with is family health insurance. Here’s everything you should know about Dubai health insurance companies and how insurance works.
Enjoy this podcast from The Expat Money Show – JohnnyFD who talks about moving from the USA and living in Bali and Thailand.
Why Worry About Family Health Insurance?
Health insurance is an important thing to own for two reasons. First, it will protect your health and ensure that if the worst were to happen, you are taken care of and you’ll receive the best possible treatment. If you have a family, you definitely want to ensure everyone in your family has this kind of security.
The second reason for having health insurance matters comes down to money. If you’re not adequately insured you might end up with huge amounts of debt just to deal with health care costs. The truth is that you can’t ever be sure what might happen. Your health insurance is the best way to cover all possibilities and reduce the risks. With health insurance, you’ll be able to focus on getting better without having to worry about the cost of care.
But when it comes to Dubai, there’s another reason you have to think about buying a family health insurance plan. Since 2017, Dubai residents and would-be residents aren’t able to obtain or renew visas without having health insurance. You are, therefore, required to have it sorted out before you relocate to Dubai.
What Does This Mean?
By law, your health insurance needs should be covered by your employer. This means that you don’t necessarily have to worry about sorting it out – you often have the right health insurance waiting for you as you arrive in the city.
However, most employers will only provide basic level cover. This is referred to as the Essential Benefits Plan 3. It generally covers you up to AED 150,000, which is around $40,000. If you want to have additional coverage and benefits, you will have to sort it out yourself.
This also means dealing with family health insurance. Dubai employers don’t have to provide cover for your dependents, so you want to look into health insurance companies and find the right cover for your family.
How To Arrange Family Health Insurance In Dubai?
Sorting out health insurance for the whole family at once will often be the easiest and cheapest option. You should find health insurance companies providing family health insurance and then use websites that compare different policies. This will help you find the right kind of policy for your family’s needs.
When you’re looking at the policies and trying to pick between them, it’s a good idea to know that certain companies differ in how they treat your need to be on the same policy. Many health insurance companies don’t require you to be on the same plan – instead, you could have the health insurance covered by your employer while the family is on a different policy. However, some companies might require the whole family to be under the same policy. Make sure you understand this before you pick a plan.
How To Choose The Right Plan?
In terms of finding the right health insurance plan for your family, it’s important to understand a few things. You should:
- Think about the kind of coverage and care your family needs
- Understand your budget and ability to pay
As mentioned, use comparison sites to find health insurance companies and to compare the different policies. Make sure you understand exactly what each available policy offers and what it costs. You don’t want to pick a plan before everything is clear to you. When you’re choosing between policies, find answers to questions like:
- Do I get to choose my doctors?
- Where can I get treated?
- What if I have more children?
- Can I add my parents to the policy?
- Are pre-existing conditions covered?
- How much do I pay monthly/annually?
- How much do I pay if I need medical care?
As a rule of thumb, you don’t want to opt for the basic plans. These are often too limited and might end up costing you more. Comprehensive health insurance is often the best way to deal with your family’s needs.
Deal With Insurance To Make Relocation To Dubai Smooth
Health insurance is mandatory in Dubai and you definitely want to sort it as soon as you know you’ll be relocating to Dubai. But instead of just rushing to pick insurance, make sure to understand the policies that health insurance companies are offering. This guarantees you find the best one for your needs.
For more information on moving overseas, please check out The Expat Money Show with Mikkel Thorup
Please visit Amazon to purchase Mikkel’s #1 Best-Selling book Expat Secrets. and follow Mikkel Thorup on Twitter @ThorupMikkel
I hope you enjoyed reading this article: Relocating To Dubai: How To Deal With Family Health Insurance. If you have any questions, please contact our office HERE.
I’ve included some great articles for you to read, enjoy!
20 Reasons Not To Move To Dubai (In No Particular Order)
UAE. Visa Information, Travel Restrictions, And Other Important Things To Know
Top 5 Places To Experience In Dubai
Why Dubai Is One Of The Best Offshore Havens
Contact Author
"*" indicates required fields
Stay Ahead on Every Adventure!
Stay updated with the World News on Escape Artist. Get all the travel news, international destinations, expat living, moving abroad, Lifestyle Tips, and digital nomad opportunities. Your next journey starts here—don’t miss a moment! Subscribe Now!
