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Every Kenyan aged above 18 years will soon be required to make a mandatory Sh6,000 annual contribution to National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) if MPs pass a new bill.
The State-backed National Hospital Insurance Fund (Amendment) Bill seeks to make it compulsory for every Kenyan adult to contribute and be a member of NHIF.
Under the bill, Kenyans will be required to pay Sh500 monthly to NHIF in a remodeled universal health coverage (UHC) scheme for outpatient and inpatient services.
The proposed compulsory NHIF membership for all Kenyan adults will be a change from the existing scheme, where only those employed in the formal sector are compelled to join.
“The Bill proposes to insert a new Section 15A to make it mandatory for any person who has attained the age of 18 years and is not a beneficiary to register as a member of the Fund,” a memorandum of the Bill reads.
Out of the over 25.36 million Kenyans above 18 years, only 8.8 million are members of NHIF, meaning over 16 million adults are not registered.
Under the current scheme, Kenyans working in the formal sector contribute between Sh150 and Sh1,700, depending on the salary scale.
The NHIF Act makes it voluntary for informal workers to join and contribute Sh500 monthly.
Currently, members of NHIF are allowed to enroll their spouses as beneficiaries while children are covered until they turn 18.
NHIF continues to cover children up to 21 years provided they have no income of their own and are living and fully dependent on the contributors.
Kenya aims to attain universal health coverage by 2022 by expanding NHIF but the plan has met resistance from private sector players, who fear it could kill their businesses.
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