Ensure immediate cover for newborns: DHIC

The DHA’s Dubai Health Insurance Corporation (DHIC) announced a directive to all insurance companies recently to ensure that there is no gap in health insurance coverage for newborns including premature babies.

Prior to the issuance of this decree, some insurance companies had a waiting period of up to six-months to provide insurance to a newborn after the 30-day limit from birth was over or after utilization of the mother’s annual limit of the policy.

The new directive clearly states that there should be no waiting period ‘of any kind’ irrespective of whether the newborn will be issued a new policy individually, or added onto a parents’ policy (whether group or individual.)

The directive also clearly states that no insurer may impose waiting periods, whether they are waiting periods against pre-existing conditions or any other conditions.

“The aim of the directive is to ensure that there is no gap in a newborn having access to continuous insurance cover from the time of birth,” said Saleh Al Hashimi, CEO of DHA’s Dubai Health Insurance Corporation. “After the 30 day period of cover under the mother’s policy is over or after utilisation of the annual limit of the mother’s policy, the new policy directive now stipulates that insurance companies must immediately provide the newborn medical insurance cover with the same table of benefits as the family’s insurance. There will no longer be a waiting period.”