Insurers are grappling with providing medical coverage to applicants who have crossed the age of 70, with some reportedly insisting on difficult conditions in the insurance policy so as to avoid covering them.
Some insurers have opened a special section to deal with such cases, reported Saudi Gazette. Some extend their services to the elderly without making any specific conditions. However, they have increased the premium rates depending on the age of the clients.
A survey of medical insurance services conducted by Saudi Gazette and Okaz, its sister Arabic Saudi Arabian daily newspaper, found that most companies charged high premiums for them.
The premium charged by a company for clients aged 66 and above was five or six times more than premiums for people aged below 55. The difference was so huge that health insurance for the elderly cost SAR14,000 ($3,736) while it is only SAR1,850 on average for others.
Some insurers inform clients of their inability to provide the service after looking at the age of clients, but the service is extended to all members of the Saudi family irrespective of age.
Mr Adel Al Eisa, official spokesman for insurance companies said, “We are committed to provide mandatory insurance to all workers in the private sector and their families irrespective of their age.”
He stressed that insurers would not consider age while extending health insurance services. “A private sector worker will receive medical insurance as long as he or she works with a company or establishment.”
Insurance expert Ziyad Al-Qassim said companies provide insurance cover to all workers irrespective of their age and number. “They do not issue insurance policies to individuals. So a retired employee will not receive insurance as long as he or she is not part of a group.”
The price of the medical insurance policy would differ depending on the service offered, the number of hospitals involved and their level of service. M
SAR1 = $0.26