The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is a government initiative designed to provide health and income security to the people of the country. This scheme covers risks related to illness, old age, unemployment, and death. These risks cause substantial instabilities in the lives of people, and this program aims to provide a way to deal with them.
Although the NHIA has tried numerous interventions to increase participation, the number of poor people enrolled in the scheme has remained low. This is despite the fact that the scheme has a very low premium. It is also worth noting that most people do not see the need for health insurance, and the scheme’s premiums are a tiny proportion of health expenditures. However, in order to increase the participation rate, the government may consider lowering the premiums.
The money raised through the insurance scheme comes from the National Health Insurance Levy, a tax that is levied on goods and services. The money raised from this tax pays for claims submitted by members of the scheme. In addition, this fund also receives grants and donations from donors and volunteers. The Fund will cover the expenses of the scheme and ensure that members will have access to health care.
The NHIS aims to provide health coverage to more people than before. It has expanded the number of beneficiaries by covering 107 million households and does not impose an income limit. It also covers those who are most at risk of experiencing health issues. By 2022, the scheme is expected to fund the operation of 150,000 primary care health centers. In addition, it will cover secondary and tertiary health care for low-income families.
NHIS is available to all citizens of the country, including visitors and non-residents. To join, an individual must visit the local NHIS office, pay the registration fee, and enroll in the insurance scheme. Once enrolled, they can access health care services with their ID card. People who are under age, pregnant women, and persons with disabilities are exempt from paying the premium.
This insurance scheme was created to help the insured access health care services and to increase revenue for providers. As the insured population grew, the demand for health care increased. It also increased the workload of health care providers, and this increased the pressure on them. The increased workload caused them to behave differently toward the uninsured population. Some patients reported long waiting times, verbal abuse, and not being examined physically. These factors were also attributed to the fact that the uninsured patients did not receive immediate reimbursement from providers.
In terms of satisfaction, people who had health insurance were generally satisfied with the care they received. This did not mean, however, that they felt the care was worse than those who were uninsured.
