While the Health Insurance Hospitals Company for Expatriates has reaffirmed its commitment to the annual collection of 130 dinars as fees for the healthcare services it intends to offer, it has expressed doubts about the viability of this yearly premium in covering all the anticipated services.
Notably, this fee was established a decade ago, during which the Ministry of Health itself raised the tariffs for expatriates on multiple occasions and expanded the list of medications not covered for non-Kuwaiti residents to maintain financial stability, reports Al-Seyassah daily.
While the company has assured its dedication to implementing cost-saving measures, it is seriously considering an increase in the annual installment, which it deems as the “reasonable minimum” to ensure the economic feasibility of the project.
In response to a query from MP Khaled Al-Tamar, the company has pledged to maintain the health insurance policy price (130 dinars) for two years before incrementally raising it to 150 dinars. Subsequently, it will periodically increase the premium every two years, reaching 190 dinars by the tenth year. The company reserves the right to raise the fees for visiting health centers if the inflation rate exceeds 6 percent without requiring approval from any official body.
Regarding healthcare costs, the company has clarified that the fees paid by expatriates will encompass all medical expenses, including but not limited to test costs, X-rays, examinations, outpatient clinics, surgeries, medications, hospital admissions, and stays.
Regarding the delay in implementing the document thus far, the company has cited continuous requests made to the Ministry of Health to move forward with document provisions. However, delays in issuing necessary licenses by the Ministry for the opening of hospitals in Al-Ahmadi and Al-Jahra have led to a significant and unwarranted increase in pre-existing expenditures and staff recruitment.
The document obliges the Ministry of Health to provide specialized health services (tertiary care) to beneficiaries of the company’s services in exchange for a predetermined sum paid upfront by the company to the ministry, not exceeding 5 percent of the guarantee value for each beneficiary. This is carried out under a contract between the ministry and the company. The company also holds the right to conduct medical examinations for expatriates in a subsequent arrangement with the Ministry.
The company has affirmed that the “Daman” system is prepared to offer hospitalization, emergency services, outpatient clinics, primary, and secondary healthcare as soon as the Ministry of Health completes the issuance of medical practice licenses for doctors.
It has been noted that the protracted process of obtaining these practice licenses necessitated the employment of hundreds of doctors for several months before they could actively contribute to the services, resulting in a negative impact on operational expenses and hindering the company’s ability to collect certain revenues to aid financial stability.