Dubai: Insurers add dental, mental health coverage as premiums rise up to 20%

Dubai residents and companies will have to shell out up to 20 per cent more for their health insurance but insurers have added some major benefits such as dental, psychiatric, organ transplant and dialysis in the new upgraded packages.

Industry executives suggest that these benefits “make health insurance more comprehensive” for policy buyers.

As reported by Khaleej Times earlier, these new costs and benefits came into effect on January 1, 2025, in the wake of recent regulatory updates mandating additional benefits and modifications to the table of benefits in health insurance plans.

 Insurance firms are revising premiums and benefits to accommodate the inclusion of additional coverage options, such as dental care, mental health check-ups, dialysis and much more. “While this may lead to a premium increase, the positive side is that these changes make policies more comprehensive, offering protection in areas that were previously not covered, ensuring a more holistic approach to healthcare,

These include enhanced coverage for critical needs such as organ transplant (up to Dh100,000 for recipients only), dialysis (up to Dh60,000), and annual drug and medicine costs (up to Dh2,500, restricted to formulary products. Similarly, mental health outpatient counselling has been added with coverage up to Dh800, dental benefits up to Dh500, and repatriation costs for the transport of mortal remains up to Dh5,000. These enhancements are accompanied by co-insurance limits, such as 20 per cent for organ transplantation and dialysis, and 30 per cent for outpatient counselling and prescription medicines.

“Not all insurers have adjusted their premiums despite adding these benefits, but some have revised rates to reflect these changes,” said the chief executive of Insurancemarket.ae.