Medical insurance glossary for Dubai and the UAE
Short definitions for terms you will see on high-end individual, international, and SME group medical quotes. Where a short form is common, we spell out the full name first.
Not legal or medical advice. Plan wording always wins. All policies will be placed via a licensed broker.
Underwriting
8 terms
- Full medical underwriting FMU
- Full medical underwriting (often shortened to FMU) is when the insurer reviews your Medical Application Form and health history in detail before deciding cover terms, exclusions, loadings, or declines. Common on high-end individual and international plans when medical history disregarded is not available.
- Medical history disregarded MHD
- Medical history disregarded (often shortened to MHD) means the insurer does not underwrite each member on past conditions the way full medical underwriting does. You still usually complete a Medical Application Form for eligibility and compliance, but declared history is typically not used to load or exclude in the same way. More often seen on larger group schemes than on small individual cases.
- Medical Application Form MAF
- The Medical Application Form (often shortened to MAF) is the health questionnaire you or your employees complete for underwriting or enrolment. Honest, complete answers matter: non-disclosure can put claims at risk later.
- Free medical underwriting / preferential underwriting
- Plain language for lighter or more favourable underwriting paths. Free medical underwriting usually means you are not asked to complete a full Medical Application Form in the same detail as full medical underwriting. Preferential underwriting is the term for more favourable terms an insurer may offer when you transfer existing cover, such as recognising your prior cover. It is never guaranteed: the insurer decides, and confirms any such terms in writing before the old policy is cancelled.
- Pre-existing condition
- A health condition that existed (or showed symptoms) before the policy start date, or within a look-back window the insurer defines. Cover, waiting periods, and exclusions for pre-existing conditions vary by plan and underwriting path. Always get the rule in writing for your case.
- Continuity of cover / policy transfer
- Moving an existing individual, international, or group policy onto a new plan, often a Dubai-compliant one, while aiming to keep continuity and favourable terms such as recognised prior cover. Any such terms are the insurer's decision and should be confirmed in writing before the old policy is cancelled; nothing is guaranteed.
- Low salary band LSB
- Low salary band (often shortened to LSB) is the lower employee salary range used in UAE group medical design. Emirate rules set minimum benefit standards for that band. On SME and corporate schemes, LSB members often sit on a more basic schedule than high salary band colleagues.
- High salary band HSB
- High salary band (often shortened to HSB) is the higher employee salary range in UAE group medical design. HSB categories usually map to richer outpatient networks, higher limits, and stronger inpatient benefits on SME and corporate plans.
Benefits
4 terms
- Inpatient IP
- Inpatient (often shortened to IP) means treatment that requires hospital admission, such as surgery, overnight stays, or intensive care. On comprehensive schedules, check room type, surgical coinsurance, prior approval, and emergency rules.
- Outpatient OP
- Outpatient (often shortened to OP) is day-to-day clinic care without overnight admission: GP and specialist visits, labs, imaging, physio, and medicines. For most households and SME populations, outpatient frequency drives day-to-day experience.
- Network / direct billing
- The network is the list of hospitals and clinics contracted for your plan code. Direct billing means the provider bills the insurer for eligible care so you pay only your excess, co-pay, or coinsurance at the counter. Always confirm your preferred clinics against the exact quote.
- Reasonable and customary
- Reasonable and customary means the insurer pays up to what it considers a normal charge for that treatment in that market or network. Bills above that level may leave you with a balance, especially out of network or overseas. Ask how the insurer sets those levels on international and high-end plans.
Cost sharing
4 terms
- Coinsurance
- Coinsurance is the percentage of an eligible claim you pay after any deductible or excess. Example: 20% coinsurance on outpatient means you pay 20% of the approved amount and the insurer pays 80%, subject to plan limits and network rules.
- Deductible
- A deductible is an amount you pay toward eligible claims before the insurer starts sharing cost for that benefit or period. Schedules may set deductibles per visit, per condition, or per year. Compare deductible size against how often you expect to claim.
- Excess
- In UAE market language, excess is often used the way deductible is used elsewhere: a fixed amount you pay toward a claim (for example per outpatient visit) before the insurer pays. Some schedules use both words; read the benefit table carefully. Excess is usually a fixed dirham amount, while coinsurance is a percentage.
- Actuals
- Actuals means reimbursement based on the actual eligible cost of treatment (the real bill amount), subject to plan limits, network rules, and reasonable and customary checks. Unlike a fixed tariff or capped schedule amount, an actuals benefit pays against what was charged for covered care, after any excess, deductible, or coinsurance. Always confirm how your schedule defines actuals versus capped or negotiated rates.
Regulators
2 terms
- Dubai Health Authority DHA
- The Dubai Health Authority (often shortened to DHA) regulates health insurance requirements for Dubai. Employer and resident cover rules, essential benefit standards, and related compliance sit in this framework for Dubai-based lives.
- Department of Health Abu Dhabi DoH
- The Department of Health Abu Dhabi (often shortened to DoH) is the health authority for Abu Dhabi. Older materials may still say HAAD, which was historical branding for the Abu Dhabi health authority. Group and individual minimums can differ from Dubai rules, so confirm which emirate applies to each life.
Compare cover next
Use the glossary when you read a schedule, then compare options that fit your household or team. All policies will be placed via a licensed broker.
Questions: paul.bennett@insurancebroker.ae · +971 52 956 8860 · Office 101, Latifa Tower, Dubai