Tuesday, December 8, 2020 – Beginning next year, all unemployed Kenyans will be forced to pay Sh6,000 annually to the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) in order to access healthcare services.
The Sh6,000 annual contribution, which equates to Sh500 per month, will be mandatory for all Kenyans regardless of their employment status.
This monthly contribution is to fund the Universal Health Coverage (UHC), which is one of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s priorities under the Big Four Agenda.
According to the Acting Director-General for Health Patrick Amoth, the UHC program will cover one nuclear family, being at most two parents and children under 18 years.
Dependants can also be covered through their parents up to 24 years if they are in school, or a lifetime if they are severely disabled.
“The package covers outpatient and inpatient services, communicable and non-communicable disease management, maternity, dialysis, radiology, mental health, minor and major surgery, substance abuse rehabilitation, emergency services and cancer treatment among others,” Amoth said.
Kenyans who are already in formal employment will continue to make their existing contributions, which could be more than Sh500 depending on salary level.
“For those employed, nothing changes. The benefit is to Kenyans who are not employed,” Amoth added.
UHC seeks to ensure access to safe, effective, quality essential health care services, including affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all Kenyans regardless of their economic status.
The Government hopes that by 2022, all persons in Kenya will be able to use the essential services they need for their health and wellbeing through a single unified package, without the risk of a financial crisis.
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