In force Last amended 18/8/1440 AH
Saudi Cooperative Health Insurance Law
نظام الضمان الصحي التعاوني
The Cooperative Health Insurance Law of Saudi Arabia. This page presents the official Arabic text of each article with plain-English explanations for residents and businesses.
- Articles
- 19
- In force
- 19
- Amended
- 2
- Issued
- 1/1/1420 AH
Issued by: مرسوم ملكي رقم م/10 بتاريخ 1 / 5 / 1420 · قرار مجلس الوزراء رقم 71 بتاريخ 27 / 4 / 1420
Each article shows the official Arabic text, which is the only legally binding version, followed by our plain-English explanation.
Browse Cooperative Health Insurance Law by topic
Articles of the Saudi Cooperative Health Insurance Law
- Article 1The article sets the Law's objective: providing and organizing health care for all non-Saudi residents in the Kingdom, with the option of applying it to citizens and others by decision of the Council of Ministers.
- Article 2Cooperative health insurance coverage includes everyone to whom the Law applies and their family members, as the Council of Health Insurance determines under paragraph (b) of Article 5.
- Article 3Anyone who sponsors a resident must subscribe to cooperative health insurance for him, and a residence permit is not granted or renewed without a policy covering the period of residence.
- Article 4يُنشأ مجلِس للضمان الصحي برئاسة وزير الصحة ، وعضوية: أ - مُّمثِل على مستوى وكيل وزارة عن: وزارة الداخلية، وزارة الصحة ، وزارة العمل…
- Article 5The article sets the powers of the Council of Health Insurance in supervising the Law's application, including preparing the regulations, setting stages, covered persons and contribution rates, qualifying insurers and accrediting facilities.
- Article 6The Council of Health Insurance's expenses, and the wages and rewards of its employees, are covered from the revenues collected under paragraph (e) of Article 5, as agreed between the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance.
- Article 7The article lists the basic health services a cooperative health insurance policy covers, from examinations and medicines to hospital stays, childbirth, surgery and dental treatment.
- Article 8The employer may expand cooperative health insurance services through additional appendices at additional cost to include diagnostic and treatment services beyond those in Article 7.
- Article 9The arrangement of preventive health measures, such as tests and vaccines, for those covered by the insurance in the period before the policy is issued is made by decision of the Minister of Health.
- Article 10The employer bears the cost of treating the insured beneficiary in the period between the date the treatment becomes due and the date of subscription to cooperative health insurance.
- Article 11Government health facilities may, when needed, provide the services covered by a policy to its holder for a fee borne by the health insurance body, with the Council determining the facilities and the fee.
- Article 12Employees of government entities covered by the Law, and their families, are treated in government health facilities if they are contracted directly with those entities and under their sponsorship and their contracts state a right to treatment.
- Article 13The Council of Health Insurance may, by decision, exempt institutions and companies that own qualified private medical institutions from subscribing for the services they provide to their personnel.
- Article 14The article sets penalties for an employer who does not subscribe or pay premiums and for an insurer that breaches its obligations, and regulates the violations committee and appeal to the Board of Grievances within 60 days.
- Article 15A resident who is not under a work sponsorship takes the employer's place in the obligations the employer would otherwise bear under the Cooperative Health Insurance Law.
- Article 16The Ministry of Health monitors the quality assurance of the health services provided to cooperative health insurance beneficiaries.
- Article 17Cooperative health insurance is applied through qualified Saudi cooperative insurance companies operating on the cooperative insurance model, in accordance with Resolution No. (51) of the Council of Senior Scholars.
- Article 18The Minister of Health must issue the Implementing Regulations of the Cooperative Health Insurance Law within a maximum of one year from the date the Law was issued.
- Article 19The Law is published in the Official Gazette and implementation begins 90 days after its Implementing Regulations are issued, while the provisions on the Council of Health Insurance take effect from publication.