Jordan Times
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
Ministry in talks with private
sector to expand health insurance system
AMMAN (Petra) — The Ministry of Health is negotiating with the Private Hospitals
Association (PHA) to sign an agreement that will allow beneficiaries from the
Civil Health Insurance System to receive treatment at member hospitals in return
for paying an unspecified percentage of the cost.
According to Minister of Health Saeed Darwazeh, civil servants will share in
shouldering the costs of such a system in the form of a deduction from their
salaries. But the minister stressed that the ministry will take into
consideration the situation of low-income employees.
The deal, Darwazeh said, would give health insurance beneficiaries an
opportunity to choose from 56 private hospitals throughout the Kingdom in which
to receive treatment.
Under the present system, beneficiaries of the civil health insurance receive
treatment only in three private hospitals and under strictly defined conditions.
Darawzeh added that the ministry intends to sign a contract with a private
company, which will be tasked to administer the agreement with the private
hospitals.
Its mission is to set controls, follow up on the deal, evaluate it and audit the
bills released to the patients to make sure that the private hospitals involved
are committed to the pricing system agreed on, according to the minister.
The move fulfils His Majesty King Abdullah's directives to widen the umbrella of
health insurance to include all sections of society.
The new Comprehensive Health Insurance System will be fully-fledged in less than
three years, the official said.
Elaborating on the developments related to the nationwide health insurance plan.
Darwazeh said the ministry has set implementation mechanisms to carry out the
expanded medical insurance plan.
Currently 75 per cent of the total population benefit from health insurance
after the endorsement of the new insurance system last September.
Since its implementation, an additional 400,000 citizens have benefited from
health insurance, in addition to the establishment of a Health Insurance Fund.
The fund allows citizens, who are not covered by any health insurance system, to
benefit from its services in return for nominal fees. They are then eligible to
receive treatment at the ministry's hospitals and healthcare centres. Under the
comprehensive system, for example, a wife who is a beneficiary from this service
will be allowed to add her husband and children to her insurance card.