Medical cover for civil servants to be funded by taxpayers outside SHIF
By Maureen Kinyanjui |
The new proposal would allocate government funding to cover health benefits for public officers beyond the limits of the SHIF program.
Taxpayers may soon be responsible for financing a separate medical insurance scheme specifically for civil servants, outside the recently launched Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF).
This development follows a new proposal by the Treasury, which, if approved, would allocate government funding to cover health benefits for public officers beyond the limits of the SHIF program.
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Despite the government's efforts to roll out the Social Health Authority's SHIF as a more comprehensive and improved replacement for the previous National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), the new fund has faced significant challenges.
Some beneficiaries under SHIF have been forced to pay medical bills out of pocket, raising concerns about its reliability.
To address this, the Treasury Cabinet Secretary, John Mbadi, has introduced regulations that would establish the Public Officers Medical Scheme Fund.
Additional coverage
This fund aims to provide additional coverage to civil servants and disciplined service members when they surpass their SHIF coverage limits.
According to Mbadi's published proposal, the new scheme would be funded primarily through taxpayer money allocated by Parliament.
"The fund shall consist of the amount of money appropriated by the National Assembly, contributions made by the ministry responsible for public service, and any other employer who chooses to contribute. These funds are intended as medical benefits, grants, and donations for public officers," he said earlier.
Under the proposed scheme, eligible State officers would receive coverage for outpatient, inpatient, dental, optical, and annual medical check-ups for up to six dependents without any out-of-pocket costs.
Other benefits include access to road ambulances, emergency air rescue services, overseas treatment, as well as life and last expense coverages. Such extensive coverage is typically found only in high-end private insurance plans.
The Treasury's plan would replace the former Medical Insurance Scheme for Civil Servants and Disciplined Services, which was wound down alongside NHIF during the recent healthcare system transition after being in operation since January 2012.
The new scheme would be administered by the Social Health Authority (SHA) and overseen by a select committee comprising principal secretaries from the Treasury, Medical Services, and Public Service, along with SHA board members.
Notably, while public officers would benefit from the enhanced coverage under the proposed scheme, the benefits and limits under SHA for the general public will remain uniform, regardless of their monthly contributions to the national insurance scheme.
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