Medical Insurance for Expats: Should Employers Cover Family Members Too?

Hi Guys, this is Edgar. I have a question - should the employer also cover family members in medical insurance for expats?

Thank you all!

It depends on the company policy. Mostly, they will cover it if they provided a visa for all your family members.

Yes, it is compulsory to cover all employees under GOSI for single status employees and family status employees (spouse, self, and dependents), as per Saudi Labor Law.

GOSI and Private Medical Insurance

Besides GOSI, companies also provide private medical insurance cards to the employees since GOSI coverage is limited, and companies do not have the time to handle the GOSI requirement when seeking medical assistance for employees. Private insurance companies are well-organized, and the administrative process is better.

Dependent Coverage and Age Limit

However, the age limit for dependents is fixed for males and females by the company. Usually, the company's responsibility ends after the age of 18. This age limit also varies from company to company. For girl children, a few companies cover them until they get married.

Regards,
Ukmitra

If the company is providing a family visa (either for expats or others), medical insurance is obligatory for the issuance of Iqama (residence permit). However, it all depends on the company policy and employment terms of the particular employee as to whether the company will be responsible for obtaining the insurance or if the employee will be responsible. In the case of GOSI, it is for employees only. Additionally, GOSI (General Organization of Social Insurance) is not a form of medical insurance. Therefore, in the discussion, GOSI does not have any specific role.

Continuing the discussion, the term "family or dependent" does not only refer to a spouse. It should cover all family members (for male dependents up to the age of 18 and for girl children until marriage), as per the Saudi Labor Law.

Thanks & Regards,
Prabhat Mishra

You are right, Mishra. GOSI does not have any specific role in this discussion.

Family Insurance Coverage for Expats in KSA

What if the visa status is working, but they can bring their family here in KSA? Should the employer shoulder all the insurance for the family, or does it depend on the company policy?

Thank you.

Hey, GOSI is also a social insurance, and you will note that all medical centers in Saudi Arabia have a GOSI counter to serve the employees. It has limited coverage and liability towards expats. Yes, you are correct, it did not have any relevance to the discussion, but just thought of mentioning.

@Ed, answering your second query: As per the contract, if an employee's status is single, and if this employee gets his family, the responsibility for covering the family's insurance will be on the employee's shoulders. He has to pay up to the company to cover his family as well before issuing the Iqama for the family. Most companies cover employees' families against payment as it has the advantage of having "Maternity also covered" under the group policy, and besides, the premium is economical.

"Regret my confusion on GOSI and insurance question."

Regards, Ukmitra