Health insurance law violators warned

Abu Dhabi: Offenders of the Health Insurance Law in Abu Dhabi will face full force of the law as an inspection campaign is to start soon, a senior official said yesterday.

Employers are responsible to secure full-time health insurance coverage for their employees, spouses and three of their dependents below 18 years of age, according to the Abu Dhabi Health Insurance Law.

In case of violations, employers have to pay a monthly fine of Dh300 for each employee that is not covered. Non-compliance will also subject the company to a blockage concerning processing of various transactions at public departments and ministries.

Sultan Al Daheri, head of claims and reimbursements section at the Health Authority in Abu Dhabi said the authority will begin inspections of all organisations involved in the health insurance scheme within weeks to monitor compliance levels.

The announcement was made at an introductory workshop, held at the authority, to inform authorised insurance companies, brokers and third party administrators about the inspection procedures that HA-AD will be conducting in order to verify cooperation with the Health Insurance Law and its Code of Regulations.

During the workshop, HA-AD confirmed that it has completed all required procedures to start inspections. The authority also confirmed that it has authorised inspectors from the Department of Justice to visit all public and private organisations, authorised insurers, and healthcare providers to ascertain that all parties are operating according to the law. The inspectors will also investigate complaints that have been filed at HA-AD in relation to the Health Insurance Scheme.

To ensure smooth progress of planned inspections, HA-AD will coordinate logistics with organisations involved. However, HA-AD is authorised to conduct an inspection without prior notice if it comes in response to a complaint filed at the authority and the relevant warrant is subsequently issued by the court, or if it is an emergency.

Written reports

"Inspectors are obliged to act according to the guidelines set by HA-AD and the Department of Justice", said Al Daheri.

He added inspectors must present written reports clearly stating the objectives of the inspection, details about the procedures followed and their proposed recommendations.

Al Daheri noted that: "Any information or evidence seized during the course of an inspection will be returned to the organisation concerned following the conclusion of the investigation. Inspectors will take every precaution to safeguard the seized material until it is released back to its owner."

The workshop finished with a request from the authority for all organisations involved to comply with the Law and to cooperate with the inspectors.