Firms having 50 or more workers must start providing health insurance to their employees and their family members here, if any, by Sept. 15. The order by the Council of Cooperative Health Insurance (CCHI) says health insurance policies for these workers should be taken through insurance companies endorsed by the Council. CCHI is an independent government body formed by the Council of Ministers (Decision No. 71) in August 1999 to regulate the health insurance sector in Saudi Arabia. According to the Cooperative Insurance Law, any firm failing to meet the deadline will be fined and temporarily or permanently banned from recruiting more workers. A single insurance policy can cost up to SR3,000 today, nearly double the price in 1999. __
