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UAE expat medical care policies bad for your wealth
| Published: | 26 Nov at 6 PM |
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Out of many healthcare insurance options in the UAE, some can be bad for your wealth as well as your health.
It seems that expats in the UAE have less luck than most in choosing the best policy for their requirements. Reports suggest that a considerable number of UAE-based overseas workers are travelling outside the Emirates for their hospital treatment.
Not reading the small print can lead to policyholder shocks such finding your treatment isn’t covered in the Emirates, waiting too long for a specialist appointment or even being unable to find a doctor who speaks English. Given the high cost of health insurance, problems such as the above can only add to the stress of illness.
Restricted hospital lists are another problem, as not all medical facilities in the UAE have specialist departments. Health insurance experts recommend that expats should buy cover for all possible eventualities, however unlikely, both in the immediate future and in the years to come.
It’s one thing to require expats to assess all the illnesses they may contract over a long period of time and plan accordingly, but how many are expert enough to estimate their needs in this fashion? Other suggestions cover travel abroad to get the treatment needed as it’s not covered in the UAE where the insurance was purchased!
Then there’s the problem of researching where specialist treatment can be had, undertaken, of course, by the unfortunate expats themselves, who’re not exactly feeling at their best. It would seem the only way is to research your disease, research the best place to have treatment, then claim on your top-dollar insurance when you’re well enough to fill in the forms. Would it be too much to ask of health insurance companies that they should work for their commission by giving lists of diseases, best regions for treatment etc?
It seems that expats in the UAE have less luck than most in choosing the best policy for their requirements. Reports suggest that a considerable number of UAE-based overseas workers are travelling outside the Emirates for their hospital treatment.
Not reading the small print can lead to policyholder shocks such finding your treatment isn’t covered in the Emirates, waiting too long for a specialist appointment or even being unable to find a doctor who speaks English. Given the high cost of health insurance, problems such as the above can only add to the stress of illness.
Restricted hospital lists are another problem, as not all medical facilities in the UAE have specialist departments. Health insurance experts recommend that expats should buy cover for all possible eventualities, however unlikely, both in the immediate future and in the years to come.
It’s one thing to require expats to assess all the illnesses they may contract over a long period of time and plan accordingly, but how many are expert enough to estimate their needs in this fashion? Other suggestions cover travel abroad to get the treatment needed as it’s not covered in the UAE where the insurance was purchased!
Then there’s the problem of researching where specialist treatment can be had, undertaken, of course, by the unfortunate expats themselves, who’re not exactly feeling at their best. It would seem the only way is to research your disease, research the best place to have treatment, then claim on your top-dollar insurance when you’re well enough to fill in the forms. Would it be too much to ask of health insurance companies that they should work for their commission by giving lists of diseases, best regions for treatment etc?
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