All Kenyans will be forced to pay Ksh 500 per month or Ksh 6000 per year for their insurance cover.
This comes after the National Assembly passed a bill that would compel all Kenyans above 18 years to be members of the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF).
The government-sponsored bill will see all Kenyans pay the required amount in a remodeled Universal Health Coverage (UHC) scheme for outpatients and inpatient services.
“A person who has attained the age of 18 years and is not a beneficiary shall register as a member of the fund,” the bill read.
The NHIF board will determine the amount the unemployed you will pay for the medical cover.
The bill also seeks to force employers whose workers earn less than Ksh12,000 to top-up for their employees’ contribution to the NHIF. This is contrary to the current rule that required workers that earned between Ksh.8,000 and 11,999 to pay Ksh400 per month for the NHIF.
Those working in the formal sector contribute to the medical fund depending on their salary scale with the highest contributors paying up to Sh1,700.
“The base of contribution will be Sh500. But there are employees in the private sector who contribute Sh150 or Sh300. The import of this amendment is to ensure that the private sector employers simply top up the difference to ensure employees base is Sh500,” the bill said.
“The national government and county government shall be liable as a contributor to the Fund in respect of all public officers, state officers, and employees working in the national government and national government entities,” it added.
“Any other employer shall be liable as a contributor to the Fund in respect of its employees.”
Parliament also came up with three categories and rates payable to NHIF by those whose income comes from self-employment.
“The essence is to ensure a self-contributor without a family pays a different rate from one with a family. The unemployed whether young or old and who is not indigent will have a different rate,” the bill added.
