Only three million Saudis benefit from a health insurance cover

The Cooperation Council of the Health Insurance (CCHI) specifies that only 3.11 million Saudis, that is 30% of the population, have a health insurance cover. Among expatriates, 7.85 million people (79%) have such coverage. With the upcoming arrival of a new health insurance company, CCHI hopes that 52% of the market will be covered.

The regulatory authorities are keeping a close watch on the insurer's code of conduct in terms of operations in this class of business and will not hesitate to impose sanctions in case of infraction. In early 2015, six insurers had their business temporarily halted for non-compliance with the legislation which had imposed an indemnification limit on each insurer.

Moreover, insurers are required to base their rates on technical and objective criteria that can be justified at any time. The ministry is considering the introduction of private insurers to cover health risks in the public sector.