The Cooperative Health Insurance Council has raised the age limit of dependents benefiting from health insurance from 18 to 25, said its spokesman Naif Al-Reefi.
He said the council has also approved a proposal to increase the maximum coverage from SR250,000 to SR500,000.
An insurance expert, who requested anonymity, told Arab News that the two measures, approved by the council, would encourage service providers to increase their premiums.
Al-Reefi revealed that the new law for cooperative health insurance, which was approved by the Cabinet, will be effective Thursday, adding that insurance companies must follow the new law.
The law empowers the council’s employees to conduct field visits on the basis of certain regulations and conditions, he said.
“They can conduct inspections during working hours without the need to obtain prior approval,” Al-Reefi said.
He said the council’s general secretariat develops its mechanisms and regulations every three years to keep up with the requirements of the market.
He said raising the maximum coverage and adding new health services in the policy would benefit insured workers and their dependents.
“The main purpose of the cooperative health council is to serve the insured,” Al-Reefi said. He stressed that the new law would help reduce complaints, which reached 1,016 last year.
Dependents up to 25 under family medical insurance
