NHIF Payments: It will soon be mandatory for every adult Kenyan to contribute to the NHIF. This is according to a new proposed health coverage scheme that will target every Kenyan aged between 18 and 65 years regardless of their social status. Under this scheme, your household will be required to pay a compulsory Sh. 6,000 per year to the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF).
You will pay this money in monthly installments of Sh. 500 per month. According to the 2021 Budget Policy Statement, the money you pay will go to the scheme that in turn should provide you with inpatient and outpatient coverage, including for communicable and non-communicable disease management, minor and major surgery, dialysis, radiology, mental health, cancer treatment, substance abuse rehabilitation, and maternity services.
In December 2020, Acting Health Director General Patrick Amoth said that under the new NHIF payments scheme, you will be able to cover your dependents up to age 24 if they are in school, or throughout their lifetime if they are severely disabled.
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“This mandatory UHC scheme will act as the national health scheme for all persons residing in Kenya whether one is formally employed or not,” he said. Currently, it costs between Sh. 500 and Sh. 1,700 per month to be covered by NHIF. 17.6 per cent of all Kenyans are covered by the NHIF while 79.8 per cent of all Kenyans do not have an insurance policy. The employed will however continue remitting their monthly NHIF deductions according to their salary level. “Nothing will change for the employed since the aim is to bring the unemployed and uninsured on under health coverage,” said Dr. Amoth.
