Make health insurance affordable for all Kenyans

A new report on the state of health insurance in the country paints a worrisome picture.

Advocacy group Twaweza Kenya says seven out of every 10 Kenyans do not have health insurance cover.

Half of the respondents attribute this to the high cost of insurance. A lot many others don’t see health insurance as a necessity probably out of lack of knowledge or mere ignorance. Insurance cover, by its nature, comes in handy during emergencies. That means, 70 per cent of Kenyans cannot afford treatment in case of emergencies.

Yet it is personal experience or the experiences of others who, when it mattered most, did not benefit from the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) cover or where reimbursement took long despite making monthly contributions that crosses the mind at the mention of insurance. Health issues should matter to all, least of all to the Government which needs its citizens healthy and productive. It should therefore be easy and affordable to get insurance cover.

Government pledges to ensure more get into the medical insurance net may not be realised without a change of approach. Other than perception and ignorance, the biggest impediment to successful health insurance remains the cost factor. In 2014, monthly NHIF contributions were adjusted upwards. Those in formal employment were required to pay a monthly contribution of Sh150 while the unmployed paid Sh500. This made little sense. Though Parliament proposed a reduction for the non-employed to Sh300 monthly, many opted out of the medical insurance cover scheme altogether.

The increase also impacted negatively on private health insurance providers because with NHIF being mandatory, those in formal employment could not afford double payment.

What this points to is the need for a comprehensive Government policy to ease the burden of costly medical care that is viable and that which can cater for the majority.