Middle East - UAE: New health insurance rules to empower authorities
Source: Middle East Insurance Review | May 2016
A new regulation has been completed that empowers the Dubai Health Authority and Dubai Healthcare City Authority to impose fees and fines related to the health insurance sector in their respective jurisdictions.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, issued an Executive Council Resolution to this effect.
The Resolution empowers the two authorities to supervise the implementation of the emirate’s health insurance system, including issuing permits to insurance companies, insurance brokers, claim management companies, hospitals, polyclinics and specialised clinics, pharmacies, laboratories, radiology and analysis centres and other related companies.
The Resolution specifies the fees and fines related to health insurance services that each Authority can charge. It stipulates that violators who repeat an offence within a year of the date of the first fine will be charged double the fine up to a maximum of AED500,000 (US$136,130).
In addition to fines, the authorities can take further action, including issuing warnings to violators and suspending them from providing health insurance-related services for a period not exceeding two years, as well as cancelling licences.
AED1 = US$0.27