Medical cover for dependants in the Gulf: what counts as the market minimum now?

We are a construction and facilities group with about 4,600 employees in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, a large share of them in site and operative roles. Employee medical insurance is mandatory and we comply. Dependants are where practice varies: we currently cover spouse and up to three children for staff at supervisor grade and above only.

With renewal premiums up 19% this year the finance director wants to hold that line. Our recruiters say competitors are now covering dependants for all white-collar grades and it is costing us offers for engineers and quantity surveyors.

Where are others drawing the eligibility line for family cover, and are you tiering the plan by grade?