Is it permissible to enrol onto a Medical Cash plan?
QUESTION:
Assalamu Alaykum Mufti Saab hope you are well. Sorry to stop you in your tracks earlier. Just wanted to follow up on the question about the Medical care service offered through my workplace. I’m not too sure how it differs between providers like Bupa etc and if it categorised as a service/membership or insurance. The provider is called Medicash Would it be possible to look into it when you get a chance please, there is no rush but I know a few people with it who have it and would be good to know if it’s jaiz or not.
ANSWER:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Medical Cash Plans provide schemes where a monthly fee is paid which entitles one to have their routine medical and dental expenses covered up to a limit. This allows one to claim money back towards the cost of their essential medical care.
After reviewing the website, the process of a Medical Cash Plan is as follows.
- A standard monthly fee will be paid based on what premium the individual chooses.
- After booking an appointment, one would pick up the prescription as normal (from a public or private provider, other than that provided by Medicash itself) and then make sure to keep hold of the receipt.
- One would submit the receipt to the company and then get reimbursed for some or all of the cost of routine/unforeseen healthcare costs and appointments. [1]
Therefore, based on the above, Medical Cash Plans are similar to Medical Insurance, in terms of seeking financial gain or loss based on a future unknown event that will result in the company and the user either in loss or gain. If the user makes a contribution and nothing happens, the company will profit, and if something does happen and the company pays out more than the user’s contribution, then the user will profit and the company will suffer the loss.
Accordingly, the Cash Plan will be impermissible due to the involvement of Qimār (gambling) [2] and Ribā (usury) within them.[3]
And Allah Ta’ālā Knows Best.
Abdul Raqib Khan
Concurred by:
Hanif Yusuf | Mubasshir Talha| Zayd Imran
References
[1]
https://www.medicash.org/employer-health-plan/
https://www.abi.org.uk/products-and-issues/choosing-the-right-insurance/health-insurance/why-buy-a-cash-plan/
https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/blog/insurance/what-are-health-cash-plans-are-they-worth-it
[2]
قوله (لأنه يصير قمارا) لأن القمار من القمر الذي يزداد تارة وينقص أخرى، وسمي القمار قمارا لأن كل واحد من المقامرين ممن يجوز أن يذهب ماله إلى صاحبه، ويجوز أن يستفيد مال صاحبه وهو حرام بالنص
[Radd al-Muhtār, 6/403, HM Saeed]
[3]
واحل الله البيع وحرم الربا
[Surah al-Baqarah, 275]
يا ايها الذين آمنوا إنما الخمر والميسر والانصاب والازلام رجس من عمل الشيطان
[Surah al-Ma’idah, 90]
يا أيها الذين آمنوا التقوا الله وذروا ما بق من الربا ان كنتم مؤمنين
[Surah al-Baqarah, 278]
عن جابر رضي الله عنه قال لعن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم آكل الربا وموكله وكاتبه وشاهديه وقال هم سواء
[Sahīh Muslim, 1597, Dār Ihyā al-Turāth al-Arabi]
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Posted in Halaal & Haraam on 15th Mar 2023 by Our Imam | 411 Views
