The National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) Board has announced new terms which came into effect on 1st January. Through a memo dated January 7, the largest medical insurer in the country set new regulations that will see members limited to 5 dependants per card. The waiting period for new members has been increased from 60 days to 90 days.
The new regulations also state that the penalty on defaulting beneficiaries will stand at 50% of the monthly contribution for each month paid late up to 11 months. This will be coupled with a requirement to pay for one year in advance and a restriction of 30 days before being eligible for benefits. In case of default for 12 months and above, the affected member will start payment afresh and be eligible for benefits after 90 days from the date of resumption of payment.
Below is a full list of the new terms as per the memo.
NHIF New Terms For 2020
1. Revision of the waiting period for new voluntary National Scheme members from current 60 days to 90 days and to introduce a 1 year (12 months) upfront payment, payable within the waiting period while observing the due dates, before one can eligible for any of the benefits.
2. Penalty on defaulting beneficiaries to stand at 50% of the monthly contribution for each month paid late, up to 11 months, coupled with requirement to pay for one year in advance and a restriction of 30 days before being eligible for benefits.
3. In case of default for 12 months and above, the affected member will start payment afresh and be eligible for benefits after 90 days from the date of resumption of payment in addition to a 1 (one) year (12 months) upfront payment, payable within the waiting period while observing due dates otherwise rule number 2) above, will also apply.
4. For Voluntary Members access to maternity benefit be restricted to 6-months post card maturity for principal members or spouse declared at the point of registration.
5. For both Maternity and Specialized Services, any dependent declared after initial registration shall be subjected to a 6-month waiting period after such declaration with exception of newborns who shall be considered eligible for benefit provided they are declared within 6 months from the date of birth. For medical inpatient and medical outpatient additional dependents shall be eligible for benefit after 30 days waiting period. This waiting period of 30 days will also apply in case of change of spouse.
6. Eligibility to access to Specialized Services shall be restricted to 6-month waiting period following card maturity for new members, while for defaulters, there shall be payment of all penalties and 1-year upfront payment of contributions coupled with a 30-day waiting period thereafter.
7. For National Scheme members, number of dependents per card to be limited to a maximum of (1) one spouse and (5) five children. For Managed scheme, it will be capped at M+6 and M+1 for normal and retiree schemes respectively. Additional dependents can be included subject to payment of additional premiums to be communicated after actuarial valuation.
The new terms exempt the following Government-funded programs that target vulnerable groups:
- Health Insurance Subsidy Program
- Free Maternity Program (Linda Mama)
- Elderly Persons with Severe Disabilities
- Inua Jamii Program
NHIF Contacts
Phone : 020 272 3246 / 020 272 3290
Email: customercare@nhif.or.ke
You can also contact NHIF via their Twitter handle @nhifkenya for a quick response.
