Dubai health insurance matters for relocating employees abroad

Dubai is one of the world’s most popular location for foreign workers. In fact, just over 70% of the Emirate’s total 9.2 million population are not local Emiratis. An overseas posting can be a rewarding opportunity, and Dubai is host to a range of sights, sounds, and experiences that draw many more expats each year. Whether you’re a local company drawing in foreign talent, or you’re a global corporate with plans to post foreign employees in Dubai, there are many employee benefits matters you need to consider. Chief among them is Dubai health insurance and the Emirate’s mandatory laws.

This week, Pacific Prime Dubai discusses the key things to know about sending foreign staff to Dubai for work.

Typical employee benefits for expats

Plenty of expats find themselves attracted to assignments in Dubai, not just for the money and the experience, but for the often generous benefits to support their move. Often, the ease or hassle of relocation and resettlement can be one of the most significant factors impacting a person’s decision to accept a foreign posting. When it comes to employee benefits, here are a few things that are commonly offered to candidates:

• Relocation costs: Flight expenses, supplied accommodation or a housing allowance, furniture allowance, company vehicle or rental allowance, education allowances for families.
• Salary benefits: Gratuity pay or end-of-service benefits (mandatory), pensions, cost-of-living allowance based on your country of origin, commission and/or bonuses.
• Insurance benefits: Expat medical insurance (mandatory), life insurance, disability.

According to a 2014 MetLife study of the UAE, 70% of employees stated that insurance benefits, such as supplementary health, life, and disability, were so important that they would consider co-paying the premium just ensure it was available to them. This speaks to the strong concern of expat workers to ensure they’re financially secure both during their time working abroad, and then upon return to their home country.

Why should I offer benefits?

In Dubai, retaining and recruiting talent has always been an area of priority for businesses. Whether locally or internationally-based, the prevalence of such lucrative expat benefits is a testament to how important attracting and keeping good staff are. The MetLife study found that, with their current HR resources, managing benefits was the biggest challenge companies faced in addressing talent concerns. Capacity issues are compounded with the highly competitive market in the UAE, and many employers have focused more on generating cost/value benefit options over selecting low cost packages.

What does this mean for your company? Not offering benefits puts you far behind the pack. In fact, it may be hard to even get applicants in a place like Dubai if your offers contain only the legally mandated employment conditions. If you do have employee benefits included in your compensation package, are they the right ones? Offering irrelevant perks can often be as ineffective as simply not offering any benefits at all, so you’ll want to make sure you’ve targeted your package to suit your staffing needs.

Expat medical insurance as an employee benefit

As a specialist in Dubai health insurance, Pacific Prime Dubai can help you understand the best way to provide expat medical insurance to relocating staff. The long and short of it is that health insurance in Dubai is mandatory; a legal requirement that was introduced by the Government and the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) in 2015. For any staff you expect to have touch down in Dubai, securing appropriate medical insurance beforehand is essential. Immigration officials and authorities have the power to deny entry to travellers who arrive without health insurance that meets all of the DHA minimum requirements.

The requirements include:

• Area of cover: Dubai (with Emergency coverage required for the whole of the UAE)
• Annual limit: AED 150,000
• Inpatient treatment
• Outpatient treatment
• Maternity
• Essential vaccinations/inoculations

Plans not meeting these requirements will be deemed as not meeting the DHA laws, and plans not meeting staffing needs and expectations will also reduce your attractiveness to potential and current employees. The best thing you can do when looking to source expat medical insurance and employee benefits for your relocating staff, is engage the help of an experienced broker.

Securing medical coverage for relocating employees

Ensuring your employee benefits will meet the expectations of potential talent, and the needs of your already Dubai-based staff, can be a difficult task. Buying a basic expat health insurance plan is easy, but your staff may find themselves with a wide range of coverage shortfalls that can make their transition and experience in the Emirate less than desirable. As such, here are a few things you should consider when searching for the best fit company health plan:

Coverage area

The DHA mandates coverage in Dubai as a minimum, however, many expats will often take an overseas posting for the opportunity to explore more of the world. The Middle East, although a hotbed of some serious conflict, is also home to some amazing locations, history, and tourist experiences. An international health insurance plan for your employees can provide near-worldwide medical coverage, saving your staff from having to secure separate travel and health plans when they vacation. If your staff are likely to be moving around the region for work, this can save your company time and money too.

Dependent coverage

Employees with families relocating with them to Dubai are responsible for not only sponsoring their spouse and children with dependent visa, but also for securing their mandated health insurance as well. Failing to do this can see family members denied entry, and a stress-free transition become a nightmare. While companies have a legal obligation to provide medical coverage only to employees, extending your employee benefits to include a staff member’s family can go a long way to developing loyalty and trust in you as an employer.

Extra medical benefits

The DHA requirements make inpatient, outpatient, maternity benefits, and vaccinations mandatory, however some employers will consider adding the following extras to boost the attractiveness of their Dubai compensation packages:

• Dental and vision benefits
• Wellness and wellbeing options
• Occupational therapy and ergonomic workplace assessments
• Alternative health practices, such as Traditional Chinese Medicine
• Mental health support

These extra benefits can be structured in a number of flexible ways to offer outstanding support to your staff at great value to your company.

Medical evacuation or repatriation

While no one needs to be concerned about the standard and provision of healthcare in Dubai, the Emirate has many advanced and capable facilities and physicians operating within it, some staff may be comforted to know that their employee benefits can extend to international medical transfers if necessary. Emergency air transportation can also be included, providing extra security to those of your staff who may have a chance to be stranded whilst travelling to remote areas.

Pacific Prime Dubai: your employee Dubai health insurance specialist

Navigating the world of employee benefits and Dubai health insurance for expats doesn’t have to be difficult. Partnering with an experienced industry expert, such as Pacific Prime Dubai, means you’ll have access to the most reputable benefits providers, backed by an unbiased consultant who can help you find the sort of package your relocating employees will need. In addition to helping you support your incoming staff to Dubai, we also provide benefits administration support for your staff, and reporting and analysis services for your management and HR teams.

To find out more about how we at Pacific Prime can help you, visit our Company and Group Health Insurance page or contact our team directly.