What is an acceptable package?

No, we don't have any coverage at all. My husband works for the Olympic Committee. Hamad gov't hospital is practically free for everyone. I was actually considering using Hamad until I found out that outside OBs don't have hospital priviledges. You either find a good hospital that has a good doctor on staff or you take the luck-of-the-draw once you go into labor at Hamad.

so your coverage through work would have only paid for a delivery in a hospital you did not trust?

Well, it cost us about $5000 US for 9 months of care, ultrasounds, lab work, RH- shot, delivery via c-section and 4 days in the hospital at Al Ahli. We just rationed it out that at home we would have been paying about $400/month health insurance anyway plus co-pays and whatever else the insurance company wouldn't pay. I think we did OK and got great care. Now my Syrian neighbor thinks I'm crazy because she feels very comfortable at Hamad and only had to pay roughly $100 US for a regular birth and hospital stay!!! Now that would have made my hubby very happy. :)

my wife and i want to have a baby, so this is all good.

public health care in egypt is garbage so we have private international coverage. we like this because had we stayed here longer my wife could have delivered back home and it would have been covered.

i'm getting the impression that i will not have the same luxury in Qatar, so the more rambling the better.

thank you.

I don't know a lot about the health insurance because we don't have any. I know QP has insurance that you can use at Al Ahli private hospital, which is where we go anyway. I recently saw an ad that Doha Bank is offering a medical plan that includes coverage if you go home for a visit. Don't know all the details because we haven't checked it out yet. I've got some weird reasoning in my head about whether I'll use public or go to Al Ahli(which isn't the only private hospital, just the one we use). For instance, late night emergency for the kids then the government child emergency place is very good and the doctors are qualified. OB/GYN, I just couldn't go with the government hospital. Lots of reasons but mainly because it's overcrowded and if you use a doctor at a clinic that doctor does not have hospital priviledges and you get the luck of the draw. I've used the neighborhood primary care center for myself but I take my kids to Al Ahli. Overall, I think healthcare is pretty good here. Drugs are not expensive, except for antibiotics. I think I'm rambling now... :)

that much i know, but thanks for the tip about education. i'll check into that.

what about health insurance? if there is a free state one i assume most companies don't add to it. but, i hear the free one is not great.

what are your thought about it?

I think it probably does start with kindergarden but nursery isn't much cheaper! I wish we had known to ask when we were negotiating my husband's contract. Of your above choices, of course $9000/month would be awesome but if it's just you and your wife, you could live nice and save with just the $5000. Maybe you could work a car into the package. We have housing and car paid for.

Do education packages start with nursery or is more for kindergarden and up?

No kids yet, but I will ask for when they arrive.

Just me and my wife at the moment - so what do you think about the packages in my original post?

Thanks

If you have kids, you need to work an education allowance into any possible package.