As the universal healthcare system continues to take root in the country, undergoing significant operational developments as more people sign up for the government health insurer National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF), it has proven unreliable – to some extent.
NHIF relies on public-funded health care, which is often associated with treatment backlog due to its inability to meet evolving healthcare needs owing to resource constraints. Its free coverage is undisputable, but the majority of the public is now favoring private medical insurance like Equihealth for prompt access to diagnosis and treatment and protection from life-altering medical expenses.
What is Equihealth?
Equihealth is a health insurance plan by Equity Bank Kenya for members of a registered groups of not less than ten people, and getting it is cost-effective because of the shared risk factor as one health plan of many policies and similar coverage is sold to or bought by a group of policyholders.
Since its establishment, it has been providing dedicated, managed, and well-coordinated emergency and urgent care to participants and their dependents by improving access to timely and high-quality health care through its exclusive network of select private hospitals and other medical providers.
How does Equihealth work?
Like any other health insurance plan, Equihealth only works, paying part of your medical charges when you have it. To get it, you can visit any Equity Bank branch near you for guidance or schedule a call online. It allows new joiners up to 70 years, but the upper age limit in which the health cover stops working is 75.
Equihealth also features annual deductibles as insurance premiums, the money paid periodically in exchange for an insurance policy. It guarantees financial compensation when the principal member or dependents fall ill.
The cost of Equihealth insurance is Ksh15,000 per year for a policyholder and a maximum of five dependents, wife/spouse, and children. It covers health screening, routine monitoring, lab work, surgical operations, x-rays, outpatient and inpatient treatment, nursing fees, intensive care, and bed rest with a shared family limit of Ksh300,000.
Preventive care and other diagnostic tests during pregnancy and childbirth are paid for by this health insurer to a limit of Ksh30,000. Inpatient optical and dental treatment are covered to its full limit.
Further, Equihealth covers pre-existing or newly diagnosed health conditions to an upper limit of Ksh150,000 in one calendar year of an active insurance contract. For cancer, consultation, scans, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, stem cell transplants, drugs, and palliative care are paid up for under this policy.
Additionally, it has a last expense benefit of Ksh50,000 per family that caters for funeral expenses upon the death of a principal member or a dependent. There is no maximum number of dependents you can add to Equihealth health cover, but for each extra dependent, a payment of Ksh1,500 must be made.
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