ABU DHABI, 20 June 2006 — The first phase of health care insurance cover will be implemented on all expatriate employees working in Abu Dhabi by July 1, the General Authority for Health Services (GAHS) has announced.
The national health insurance company Daman received licensing to insure both the government and private sectors by the Ministry of Economy and by the GAHS.
Daman has already begun to meet with many organizations in Abu Dhabi as they prepare for the new health insurance law requirements.
The recently approved regulations issued by President Sheikh Khalifa ibn Zayed Al-Nahayan makes it compulsory for employers and business owners in Abu Dhabi to provide health insurance coverage for their expatriate employees and their families.
The first phase of the law will require the Abu Dhabi government, government contractors and employers with more than 1,000 employees to provide health insurance coverage for the employee, the employee’s spouse and up to three dependents under the age of 18 by July 1.
Approximately 250 organizations in Abu Dhabi will be covered in the first phase. Daman has begun to meet with these organizations to introduce the various insurance products that have been developed.
The second phase, which will take effect in January 2007, will require all expatriates to be insured.
Over one million expatriates are expected to be covered by the scheme. As per the law, employers will pay for the health insurance policies.
Daman is the first specialized national health insurance company to be formed in the United Arab Emirates.
