Kimani Ichung’wah
National Assembly Majority Leader and Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wah has tabled a bill in Parliament to replace the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF), following Cabinet approval.
The Social Health Insurance Bill 2023 proposes the establishment of a Social Health Authority to oversee all three funds in a bid to streamline public health insurance.
The proposed authority will manage funds, which include the Primary Healthcare Fund, the Social Health Insurance Fund and the Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund.
As with the NHIF, all Kenyan families and residents would be required to register with the Authority. It will be paid on a monthly basis, with employers also contributing. Like the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF), it will have a board of directors made up of representatives of the government, professional groups and trade unions.
The new bill removes the Federation of Kenyan Employers (FKE) from the board in favour of a representative of the informal sector, also known as jua kali.
The board will consist of 12 members, including the CEO as an ex-officio member. To ensure a smooth transition from the NHIF to the Social Health Authority, the NHIF will be allowed to close one year after the passage of the bill.
“On the appointed day, all funds, assets and other property, movable and immovable, which immediately before that day were held for and on behalf of the Fund in the name of the National Health Insurance Board shall, by virtue of this paragraph and without further security, vest in the Authority,” reads part of the bill.
The Bill aims to provide a legal framework for the provision of social health insurance and to facilitate the implementation of universal health coverage.
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