The final deadline for signing up for mandatory health insurance cover for Dubai residents is three days away. With 90 per cent of residents covered, it is hoped that the remaining will hasten to sign up rather than end up paying the fine, which amounts to Dh500 per month.
Initiated in October 2014, the scheme was rolled out in several phases with extensions to allow for margins of laxity by individuals and companies. Now, no further slack will be given. This is as it should be. Making health insurance compulsory for all residents is pivoted on a logic that holds inherent appeal for all — it makes sure that no one party is held hostage by an unexpected health emergency that calls for a sudden and large infusion of cash to meet the crisis. Such cases are not uncommon as they align with the rather popular impulse of being penny wise and pound foolish and having a health cover insures you against such mishaps and provides succour.
An important feature of the mandatory health cover initiative is that it comes with an in-built flexibility, offering a range of packages and premiums to choose from. With the basic essential package pegged at Dh550-750 per annum, the government has ensured that affordability is a functioning principle. The health insurance scheme also comes with a full-fledged redressal system by the government for people who are dissatisfied with the services provided by insurance companies and again, it is the individual who benefits due to this facility. The importance of having a safety net in a health crisis cannot be overemphasised and individuals who have not yet availed of the health cover would do well to realise this.
