JEDDAH: As part of the drive to implement mandatory employer-provided health insurance, starting today Saudi employees working in the private sector must have health plans regardless of the size of the company.
“The council is implementing amended regulations for health insurance including bringing all Saudi workers in the private companies and establishments and their dependents from Sunday.
The amended regulations will also cover the Saudi on work contracts,” Abdullah Al-Sharif, secretary general of the Council of Cooperative Health Insurance, said in a statement to Saudi Press Agency on Saturday.
The effort to provide health plans to all private sector workers has been implemented in phases, starting with larger companies and covering all foreign workers.
The amended regulations also stipulate that the insurance companies should fix insurance premiums in a fair and rational manner and in line with the subscription regulations in the country.
The date of insurance coverage will begin on the date of paying the premium unless stated differently, the regulations said.
An insurance company will be held responsible for any fine or other additional expenses originating from the negligence of that company in fulfilling its commitments in the coverage of any policyholder.
Other new amendments include that insurance companies should report the name of an insured person to the national health insurance network within 48 hours of his document of joining the insurance coverage becomes valid.
It is also stipulated that delay in issuing insurance cards should not be an excuse to deny a customer the insurance claims.
The card should be issued to a customer within five working days after the insurance coverage becomes effective for that worker.
