By June 30 2016, every resident with a Dubai residence visa must sign up for mandatory health cover, or face penalties of AED500 per employee per month.
The linking of the visas to the mandatory health cover has also helped track and ensure much of the population is on board. The DHA website has all the information about insurance companies, licensed by the health authorities. Dr. Haidar Al Yousuf, Director of Public Health Funding at DHA in his interview to the newspaper Emirates 24/7 confirmed that there are many competitive packages in the market from AED565 to AED650 for people who earn less than AED4,000. And, starting at less than AED700 for dependents. For the elderly, packages that are start from AED2,500. That is for everyone above the age of 60. And, these are basic benefit packages but they cover essential health needs.