The cabinet has endorsed the amendments to the health insurance bylaw which will allow the inclusion of new beneficiaries to the public health insurance system, said media reports.
The decision came after weeks of deliberation and dialogue between the Ministry of Health and the Parliamentary Health Committee, as well as the outcome of long consultations between ministry officials and Jordanian physicians.
The amended bylaw will be published in the official gazette, coming into effect 60 days after they have been published.
The amendments will allow an unmarried son or daughter — over the age of 18 — of any subscriber, to enrol in the civil health insurance programme, said the reports. Unemployed children of subscribers, who are 25 years old, will pay JOD5 ($7) a month in order to receive full coverage, while those who are employed will be required to pay JOD10 monthly in order for their civil insurance to remain valid.
According to a study published in November 2020 by the Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, funded by the UNICEF, “The cost of expanding healthcare coverage for vulnerable Jordanians was $223.20 per newly-covered person per-year”. The study also stated that the “annual per capita out-of-pocket payment by an uninsured Jordanian for an ambulatory visit was $11.33, compared to $2.92 for those covered by the civil insurance programme”, indicating a clear advantage for insured patients. M