While foreign workers do have access to the public health system in Dubai, it is advisable to have private health insurance so that you can go to private hospitals or doctors if you prefer. To be able to gain access to the health care system in Dubai, all foreigners and nationals of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are required to be in possession of a health card.
Getting a health card is a fairly simple and easy process. Application forms for health cards can be found at clinics or from the Ministry of Health in Dubai. Once you have completed your form and are ready to turn it in you take it to the Ministry of Health in Dubai. You will also need to have two copies of your passport, two passport size photographs, a letter confirming your employment in Dubai and the fee of $75 for processing the application.
Typically foreign workers utilize private treatment options but that can be very costly without medical insurance. If you are not sure where to get adequate health insurance with the necessary coverage you can find a variety of international companies that offer private health insurance and Dubai and other places across the world. If you do not know what type of fee to expect you can usually count on the cost for comprehensive private health insurance to be around $50 a month just for regional coverage in Dubai. Benefits and services and treatments covered tends to vary among the various insurance providers and policies. For this reason, it is important to read all of the fine print to know what exactly is covered by a policy before taking on that coverage for your health insurance.
Remember that most insurance policies include restrictions such as pre-existing conditions. There are also some companies that limit costs for certain treatments or services within a calendar year. You should also watch out for policies that limit the number of days you can spend in the hospital.
It is probably in your best interest to avoid a policy that terminates once you reach retirement age as it will be almost impossible to get a new policy at that age. And if you can get a policy at that age it is likely to be very costly. Some international policies exclude coverage in the United States due to the high medical costs in the US. If the policy that you are interested in has exclusions like this you may be able to pay to have certain coverage added to the policy.
Full dental insurance in Dubai can be very costly. For extensive coverage you will need to get a gold standard health plan. Fillings and extractions are typically included in standard plans. Gold standard policies are not without their exclusions. There may be exclusions regarding the content of fillings, the volume of work that can be covered in a year or the number of visits you can make to the dentist a year. X-rays and cleanings are sometimes not included in policies so it is important to make sure that they are listed as covered serviced. You will not typically find cosmetic dentistry or orthodontics as covered services for most dental plans.
