NHIF seeks penalties for adults who fail to register

 

The National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) in this picture taken on Tuesday, October 26, 2021. PHOTO | DENNIS ONSONGO | NMG

By JOHN MUTUA
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The National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) is drafting regulations that will prescribe penalties for Kenyans aged 18 years and above who fail to register with the public insurer after the law made it compulsory.

NHIF chief executive Peter Kamunyo on Monday said that the insurer will table the draft regulations before Parliament and open them for public views this month, paving the way for operationalisation of the NHIF (Amendment) Act, 2021.

The NHIF (Amendment) Act 2021 became law on January 28.

Compulsory membership will see an adult pay Sh500 per month or Sh6,000 annually, boosting NHIF’s funding pool in a remodelled Universal Health Coverage (UHC) scheme for outpatient and inpatient services.

“We are now drafting the regulations ... and some of the issues... will be the penalty for those who do not register,” Mr Kamunyo said.

“We will submit them before Parliament as the law demands and then [open them to] public debate this month.”

The law, however, provides for a fine of up to Sh1 million for various offences that include impersonation and officials caught filing fictitious claims.While the law makes it an offence for Kenyans who are aged above 18 to stay unregistered, it is silent on the penalty for those who fail to comply, making it hard for the government to implement the Act.

“A person convicted of an offence under this Act for which no other penalty is prescribed shall be liable to a fine not exceeding one million shillings or, in the case of a natural person, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or to both,” reads the NHIF (Amendment) Act 2021.

But the National government will pay member contributions for vulnerable Kenyans who will not be able to self-fund their contributions.

The NHIF Act 2021 describes vulnerable persons as in need of special care, support or protection including orphaned and vulnerable children, widows or widowers, disabled persons or the elderly.

Data shows that NHIF had 10.6 million members in the year ended last June but 5.7 million members or 54 percent of the total had stopped their contributions by end of August last year in the wake of the Coronavirus-induced layoffs and salary cuts.

jmutua@ke.nationmedia.com