Balanced cover key to peace of mind.

Q: My employer has recently provided me with a government health card. Am I now fully covered for any medical expenses?

A: The health card ensures that basic healthcare services will be available, including primary outpatient care, prescription drugs, long-term community care, childhood immunisation, children's dental care, mental health, non-emergency inpatient care and acute and emergency treatment.

However, you are able to buy private 'top-up' health insurance to complement the basic system. You need to think about your medical needs, and consult with an accredited independent financial consultant in the UAE who will assist you in identifying your medical insurance requirements and will be able to provide you with a bespoke option to fit your specific needs.

First, consider how much cover you would get if you fell sick and only had a health card. Consider the areas where you think you would need financial support if you needed treatment, say for an emergency operation. You need to balance the peace of mind you get from knowing you are fully covered for all eventualities, with the cost of the overall policy. Most people find a comfortable balance between the two which provides robust protection against unforeseen medical expenses without breaking the bank.

While most people don't like to think about things going wrong in the future if you, or a member of your family, fall ill you will be at your most vulnerable and not in the right frame of mind to consider medical costs. By taking on medical insurance cover all of those concerns will be put to one side.

When committing to medical insurance, make sure you ask how much excess you would have to pay for each area of treatment. With most policies in the UAE you can decide to lower the amount of excess on certain treatments, however this will prove more expensive in terms of the overall policy.

The health card also only provides protection within Dubai. If you do any business or leisure travelling you may want to look at a plan which includes world-wide treatment as well as what is known as elective treatment, where you choose to receive medical services in a particular region. This again is obviously more expensive.

Also, you can obtain critical illness cover which may allow you to obtain reimbursement for loss of earnings while you have been receiving medical treatment and unable to work. For certain illnesses critical illness can cover the cost of your salary for a set period of time to offer you support while you are not earning.

Remember to also ask about how previous medical history is treated. Some companies will exclude previous medical conditions altogether while many will provide a moratorium clause which means you will not be covered for a previous medical condition until you have been a set period of time without any symptoms or treatment for that condition. This can be anything from two to five years.

If you have children, there are many products on the market which provide cover for each member of the family. These can often work out cheaper than purchasing individual cover.

Finally, remember to read through the document and take advantage of all of the provisions you are paying for. There are many benefits included in a medical insurance policy which you may forget about. You are likely to be provided with routine dental care and regular check-ups.

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- Mark Hartigan is deputy CEO at Nexus, one of the region's leading financial advisor. Opinion expressed by the writer is his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Gulf News.

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