The Kenya Kwanza administration has maintained that it is determined to deliver Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Health Cabinet Secretary while reviewing the progress made so far on Wednesday noted that over 17.8 million Kenyans have registered with the Social Health Authority (SHA), as of January 13, 2025.
The figure includes 13.2 million new members and 4.6 million individuals transitioned from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).
Kenya transitioned from NHIF to the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) to establish a more inclusive UHC structure.
SHIF is a comprehensive public health insurance service established by the Social Health Insurance Act of 2023.
In her address, Barasa said the Ministry of Health is steadfast in delivering UHC, a priority of the Kenya Kwanza administration.
"The reforms in healthcare financing, service delivery, and human resource development are pivotal to achieving UHC and ensuring no Kenyan is left behind,” she said.
The programme, launched in October 2024 under SHA transitioned almost all Kenyans from the defunct NHIF to SHIF.
Unlike the NHIF, which primarily targeted the formal sector and employed individuals, SHIF aims to provide health insurance for every citizen, including those in the informal sector and vulnerable groups who have been historically underserved.
SHIF introduced a tiered contribution system that factors in the income levels of contributors.
SHIF is centred on extending coverage to the uninsured, with the minimum contribution to the scheme being determined by the means testing instruments.
Salaried NHIF members used to make contributions as per a graduated salary scale ranging from a minimum of Sh150 to a maximum of Sh1,700, but SHIF has a standard rate which will be capped at 2.75 per cent of their salary plus other side deductions that their employers are going to make to the Primary Healthcare Fund.
Those who earn Sh20,000 are now required to pay Sh550 while those whose salary is Sh50,000 contribute Sh1,375.
On the other hand, earners of Sh100,000 are deducted Sh2,750 while those who take home Sh200,000 pay Sh5,500.
Top earners; those who take home Sh500,000 pay Sh13,750 while those getting Sh1 million and above pay Sh27,500.
The SHIF expanded its benefits to cover a broader spectrum of health services, including outpatient services, chronic disease management, and maternal and child health which aligns with UHC goals.
Every Kenyan is required to register as a member of SHIF and also any person who is not a Kenyan but ordinarily resides in Kenya for more than 12 months and any child born after the commencement of the Social Health Insurance Act, No. 16 of 2023.
To access public services from the national and county government or related entities, a registered person must demonstrate that they have complied with registration and contribution requirements.
In both SHIF and NHIF, the beneficiaries are the contributors, spouses of the contributors, those who have not attained the age of 21 years with no income of their own and living with the contributor, those who have not attained the age of 25 years and are undergoing a full-time course of education at a university or college and people who are living with disability and are wholly dependent on and living with the contributor.
Kenyans who wish to seek medical treatment abroad, Wachira will have to follow the normal referral which is stipulated in the Act.
They will be required to go to Level 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 hospitals where specialised treatment will be recommended.
Kenyans will also be registered under the chronic and critical illness fund to cushion in case one exhausts their premiums in the course of treatment.
