Qatar: Health insurance law to come into effect in May 2022
Source: Middle East Insurance Review | Dec 2021
Qatar’s Ministry of Justice has published in the official gazette on 4 November a new law covering health insurance services, including compulsory medical insurance for foreign workers. The law takes effect six months later on 4 May 2022, following its publication in the official gazette.
The new legislation, dubbed Law No (22) of 2021, defines the controls, procedures, systems and standards necessary for the provision of healthcare services in government and private medical facilities and the application and supervision of the mandatory health insurance scheme.
The new law stipulates that the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) is responsible for setting the policies, plans, procedures, systems and standards necessary for the provision of healthcare services in government and private health facilities. It is also responsible for the implementation and supervision of mandatory health insurance.
Under the new law, a mandatory health insurance system will be implemented for all expatriates and visitors to Qatar, which provides basic healthcare services to them in government health facilities and private-sector medical institutions, according to the insurance coverage policy. The employer has to provide basic health insurance for non-Qatari workers through insurance companies registered with the MOPH.
Insurance companies have been preparing for the compulsory health insurance scheme since the start of this year. For example, they have been designing medical insurance packages.
Among other functions, the MOPH will register healthcare service providers, determining the services each of them is authorised to provide and registering insurance companies, claims management companies and insurance brokers. It will set the rules for transferring health insurance coverage from one insurance company to another. M