Article 2 of the Saudi Cooperative Health Insurance Law
المادة 2 من نظام الضمان الصحي التعاوني
Cooperative 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.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
تشمل التغطية بالضمان الصحي التعاوني جميع من ينطبق عليهم هذا النِظام وأفراد أُسرِهم وِفقاً لما جاء في الفقرة (ب) مِن المادة الخامسة.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 2 explained in plain English
This article sets the scope of cooperative health insurance coverage, which includes:
- Everyone to whom the Law applies, who under Article 1 are non-Saudi residents in the Kingdom and those to whom the Law is applied by decision of the Council of Ministers.
- Their family members.
But the article does not itself specify who the covered family members are; it refers to paragraph (b) of Article 5. This paragraph gives the Council of Health Insurance the authority to issue the decisions needed to organize the changing matters in applying the Law, including:
- Determining the stages of applying the Law.
- Determining the family members of the beneficiary who are covered by the insurance.
- Determining how, and in what proportion, the beneficiary and the employer contribute to the premium, and the maximum amount of that premium.
The reference for knowing which family members are included, such as the wife and children, is therefore the decisions of the Council of Health Insurance, not the text of this article.
After this article comes Article 3, which requires anyone who sponsors a resident to subscribe to cooperative health insurance for him, and provides that a residence permit is not granted or renewed until the insurance policy is obtained, with its period covering the period of residence.
Practical example
Mohammed is a non-Saudi resident who works in Jeddah and lives with his wife and two children. Coverage includes him and his family members, but determining which of them are included in the coverage goes back to the decisions of the Council of Health Insurance issued under paragraph (b) of Article 5.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 2 of the Saudi Cooperative Health Insurance Law
Does health insurance cover a resident's family?
Yes. Coverage includes those to whom the Law applies and their family members, as stated in paragraph (b) of Article 5.
Who determines which family members are covered by health insurance?
The Council of Health Insurance, since paragraph (b) of Article 5 gives it the authority to determine the family members of the beneficiary who are covered by the insurance.
Does health insurance cover parents?
The article does not specify which family members are covered, and refers this to what the Council of Health Insurance decides.
Articles this article refers to
More articles on Persons Covered by Health Insurance
- Article 1
The 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.
يهدف هذا النِظام إلى توفير الرعاية الصحية وتنظيمِها لجميع المُقيمين غير السعوديين في المملكة، ويجوز تطبيقُه على المواطنين وغيرِهم بقرار مِن مجلس الوزراء .
- Article 3
Anyone 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.
مع مُراعاة مراحِل التطبيق المُشار إليها في الفقرة (ب) من المادة الخامسة، وما تقضي بِه المادتان الثانية عشرة والثالثة عشرة مِن هذا النِظام، يلتزم كُل من يكفل مُق
- Article 12
Employees 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.
يكون علاج العاملين في الجِهات الحُكومية المشمولين بهذا النِظام وأفراد أُسرِهم في المرافِق الصحية الحُكومية متى كانوا مُتعاقدين مُباشرة مع هذه الجِهات وتحت كفالت
- Article 13
The 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.
يجوز بقرار مِن مجلِس الضمان الصحي إعفاء المؤسسات والشركات التي تملك مؤسسات طبية خاصة مؤهلة من الاشتِراك في الضمان الصحي التعاوني عن الخدمات التي تُقدِّمُها لمنس
- Article 15
A 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.
يحل المُقيم غير المشمول بكفالة عمل محل صاحِب العمل في الالتِزامات المُترتِبة على هذا الأخير بموجب هذا النِظام.
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.