Nakhumicha
The Health Ministry has promised to settle all overdue remittances by the end of the transition from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to the new Social Health Authority (SHA).
Health Cabinet Secretary Suzan Nakhumicha revealed that the fund owed medical claims of Sh20 billion and Sh9.3 billion to co-insurers, respectively, with unpaid premiums of Sh28 billion as of June 31, 2024.
“As of May 31, 2024, the Fund owed medical claims of Sh.20 billion and Sh.9.3 billion to co-insurers. The Fund’s outstanding premiums totaled Sh.28 billion. The Ministry of Health and the Authority have put in place mechanisms to ensure that claims are satisfied before the conclusion of the transition,” CS Nakhumicha told the Senate Health Committee about the implementation of Universal Health Care (UHC).
CS Nakhumicha stated that the ministry will pay unpaid National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) remittances to healthcare facilities, as well as all pending remittances, before the changeover period.
She confirmed that the Ministry is pursuing debt owed by Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) through the National Treasury and that the Board has decreased administrative costs and shifted money towards claim settlement.
Furthermore, to ensure the smooth transfer of assets, obligations, and resources to the Social Health Authority (SHA), the ministry has been conducting claim verification and reconciliation to ensure that only legitimate claims are paid.
“Following the adoption of the SHA Act, 2023, a Transition Committee was established on January 26, 2024. “The Committee collaborates with both the NHIF Board and the SHA Board, and they developed a comprehensive work plan that included NHIF asset and liability verification,” Nakhumicha stated.
The full transition from the National Health Insurance Fund to SHA was scheduled to begin on July 1, 2024, but the rollout team stated that the new system is not yet operational.
