Health Insurance in the UAE Essay
Health insurance is one of the most serious issues in any society as it often leads to high-quality healthcare treatment available for many people. There are different ways to treat the issue and some countries provide free healthcare while others focus on healthcare insurance system. In the UAE, compulsory health insurance is being introduced. In Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the policy started in 2014 and it is expected that the majority of people living in the UAE will have obtained the health insurance by 2016.Health Insurance in the UAE Essay
It is necessary to note that the need for the mandatory health insurance has been vivid for years. In 2006, it was decided to introduce mandatory healthcare insurance to all expatriates. Employers were responsible for providing healthcare insurance and the incentive proved to be effective. The government imposed certain licensing that ensures high quality of services provided by insurers.Health Insurance in the UAE Essay
Now, policy makers have finally come up with an appropriate health care policy that covers the majority of the population of the country. Efficiency of the policy can be justified by the activities covered in the insurance plan. It has been estimated that in 2011, 67.2 million activities took place. At that, 47% of these activities were consultations, 21% were drug prescriptions, 19% were DRGs, 5% were services, 5% were dental services and 3% were materials. Therefore, it is quite clear that insurance coverage is justified.
Thus, according to the policy, the following areas will be covered: GP visits, referral to specialists, tests, surgical procedures, maternity and emergencies. It is necessary to note that two thirds of Nationals in the UAE are between 20 and 30 years old. At that, expatriates are between 30 and 40 years. These data suggest that the major focus of healthcare insurance should be check-ups and emergencies. It is also necessary to add that the leading cause of deaths in the UAE is diseases of the circulatory system (these disorders account for 39% of deaths).
To diminish the death rate, it is essential to make sure that people have their check-ups, which enable healthcare professionals to detect disorders at early stages (which are curable). It is noteworthy that dental services (apart from dental emergencies) as well as, the so-called, luxury healthcare services are excluded from the insuring package. As has been mentioned above, dental services account for 5% of service provided in 2011 and, hence, the decision to cover only dental emergencies is justified. Apart from particular positive effects on people’s health, the policy will be economically beneficial for stakeholders.
The mandatory healthcare insurance will start with providing insurance to employed people (Emirati people as well as expatriates) by employers. Notably, the policy is divided into three stages to give employers (as well as insurance providers) an opportunity to get ready for it. Thus, larger companies employing 1,000 people or more will have to provide health insurance to their employees by October 2014. Then, organizations with 100 to 999 people will have to provide insurance to their employees by July 2015. Finally, companies employing up to 99 people will have to provide their employees with insurance by June 2016.Health Insurance in the UAE Essay
These stages will make the policy less economically burdensome for companies. It is possible to assume that the policy is effective as it enables people to obtain high-quality healthcare treatment that is not excessively expensive. Clearly, analysis of quantitative data provides valuable insights into effectiveness of the policy. It is impossible to assess the policy and identify its flaws (if any) without looking into figures. Thus, after analysis of certain demographic data it become clear that healthcare insurance is necessary for the Emirati society.
The data also show particular areas of concern. Quantitative data will be essential when analyzing outcomes of the policy. It will be important to calculate the number of activities, costs of the activities, the number of people covered by insurance package, the rate of particular diseases as well as death rate. Obviously, to plan and successfully implement a policy it is crucial to carry out extensive research and analyze certain quantitative data. The research has to be insightful and comprehensive. Otherwise, there are chances that the policy will not be comprehensive or/and will be inapplicable in certain settings.Health Insurance in the UAE Essay