Dubai resident annoyed over small print in health insurance



Last year my husband changed jobs and health insurance was no longer provided for our children so we took out insurance through my husband's new company, intending to pay for it ourselves. Before getting our cards we paid for some treatment and claimed it back. We soon realised that the insurance wasn't that great as the network was limited and didn't cover our preferred doctors. We then cancelled the insurance and put the children under my company insurance thinking we would only pay the two months' payments for the previous insurance. We have now been informed that we need to pay the full amount of Dh10,000 for the year as we made a claim on the insurance. Is this correct and if it is, can I fight this? At this point I'm even happy to pay what we would have paid at the doctors if we did not claim as it comes to less than Dh5,000. I can't believe I would have to pay the already 30 per cent of that (the Dh5,000) as well as the Dh10,000 for the three children for the annual payment. Needless to say I am cross. Do I just suck this up or if there is a way out of this? GF, Dubai

All personal DHA-compliant policies are taken out for a period of 12 months, even if premiums are payable monthly. If someone cancels a policy they are still liable for the premiums for the remainder of the plan year. While some companies will let this slide if there have been no claims, if claims have been made they will require the remainder of the premiums to be paid in full in accordance with the contract terms. This will have been in the small print and the policyholder would have legally accepted this when signing the declaration before proceeding. I would really expect any provider or broker to have made this clear at the outset and it is important that this is done. In this scenario GF is liable for the full annual premiums and the insurance company is within their rights to pursue the full payment.

Keren Bobker is an independent financial adviser and senior partner with Holborn Assets in Dubai, with over 20 years’ experience. Contact her at keren@holbornassets.com. Follow her on Twitter at @FinancialUAE.

The advice provided in our columns does not constitute legal advice and is provided for information only.

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What can you do?

Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses

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Stuck in a job without a pay rise? Here's what to do

Chris Greaves, the managing director of Hays Gulf Region, says those without a pay rise for an extended period must start asking questions – both of themselves and their employer.

“First, are they happy with that or do they want more?” he says. “Job-seeking is a time-consuming, frustrating and long-winded affair so are they prepared to put themselves through that rigmarole? Before they consider that, they must ask their employer what is happening.”

Most employees bring up pay rise queries at their annual performance appraisal and find out what the company has in store for them from a career perspective.

Those with no formal appraisal system, Mr Greaves says, should ask HR or their line manager for an assessment.

“You want to find out how they value your contribution and where your job could go,” he says. “You’ve got to be brave enough to ask some questions and if you don’t like the answers then you have to develop a strategy or change jobs if you are prepared to go through the job-seeking process.”

For those that do reach the salary negotiation with their current employer, Mr Greaves says there is no point in asking for less than 5 per cent.

“However, this can only really have any chance of success if you can identify where you add value to the business (preferably you can put a monetary value on it), or you can point to a sustained contribution above the call of duty or to other achievements you think your employer will value.”

 

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FFP EXPLAINED

What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.

What the rules dictate? 
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.

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