Starting October 1, 2024, Kenyans will no longer access healthcare services through the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) as the government fully transitions to the new Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF).
NHIF CEO Elijah Wachira announced on Sunday that SHIF benefits will commence on this date and will be managed by the Social Health Authority (SHA).
Wachira clarified that payments made on or before October 9 will be credited to NHIF. Payments made after this date will be credited to SHA.
Employers are advised to register their staff before October 1 and use the SHA employer portal at https://sha.go.ke/ to manage contributions.
To start, employers must create and verify their account on the portal, enter their employees’ details, and complete the registration with SHA. They will then remit all contributions, which amount to 2.75% of each employee’s monthly salary, to SHIF.
On August 30, the Ministry of Health introduced new tariffs for the benefits package under the Social Health Insurance Act (SHIA) medical scheme.
Under SHIF, outpatient services for diabetes patients at Level 4 to 6 facilities will be covered up to Ksh.4,300. Hypertension patients will receive up to Ksh.2,850, and those with sickle cell anemia will be covered up to Ksh.6,800 per year. For inpatient services, tariffs will be Ksh.3,360 at Level 4, Ksh.3,920 at Level 5, and Ksh.4,480 at Level 6, with a maximum admission limit of 180 days per household.
Tariffs for managing kidney failure will be Ksh.10,650 per session for hemodialysis and hemodiafiltration services, and Ksh.85,200 monthly for peritoneal dialysis. Cancer patients will receive coverage up to Ksh.400,000 for various oncological services.
Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa confirmed that the Linda Mama program for expectant mothers will be integrated into SHIF and enhanced to help reduce maternal mortality rates in Kenya.
Barasa also highlighted that, in response to the rising maternal mortality rate, the government has increased tariffs to Kes.10,000 for normal deliveries and Kes.30,000 for C-sections, ensuring comprehensive coverage for mothers and their families.
