what’s the importance of health insurance in Kenya?
It’s important to have health insurance as a safety net. If you unexpectedly get sick or injured, health insurance is there to help cover costs that you likely can’t afford to pay on your own. Health care can be very expensive. It can be an enormous financial burden.
With health insurance, you can go to the doctor for:
- Preventive services to help you avoid serious illness.
- Care for ongoing health conditions.
- Treatment for new health issues, such as chronic disease or injury.
Health and Medical Insurance Companies in Kenya
Medical insurance in Kenya is a great tool that can protect the insured from high costs arising out of an illness or an accident provided they are covered on a health policy.
Understand Your Options
Health insurance can be confusing. The good news is there are several resources that can help you understand and compare health plans:
Summary of Benefits and Coverage:
If you have a private health plan through your employer or that you buy on your own, you should get a standardized, easy-to-understand form called the Summary of Benefits and Coverage. You can use it to help you compare different insurance options and costs. Ask your insurer for it if they don’t provide it.
- Inpatient services costs including hospital and doctor’s costs, cash reimbursement if you pay your own hospitalization expense, post hospital outpatient services such as rehabilitation and home nursing, inpatient psychiatric treatment, pre-existing and chronic conditions not forgetting organ transplant if the need occurs among others
- Outpatient services costs including general practitioner and specialist fees as well as prescribed medicine and other supporting medical services such as laboratory tests, outpatient surgery, hormone replacement therapy, pre-existing or diagnosed chronic conditions. In addition to this cost of acquiring artificial limbs, emergency assistance, evacuation and repatriation has been included. What’s more, prescribed alternative treatments costs like osteopathy, acupuncture, chiropractic, and homeopathy among others are covered as long as they are done by registered practitioners
- Maternity costs for both natural and caesarean (whether elective or non-elective) deliveries in a registered hospital, as well as infertility treatment for patients under 40 years and trying for the first time
- Dental costs including routine dental treatment, major restorative dental treatments, teeth whitening and adult orthodontic work after age 16
- Optical treatments costs including costs of glasses, frames, contact lenses, lasik surgery & lens implants
- Emergency assistance, evacuation and repatriation expenses including round trip airfare and accommodation for your spouse or next of kin in the event of hospitalization lasting more than 5 consecutive days, repatriation of mortal remains, compassionate visit in case of death of a close family member, second medical opinion and dispatch of medicines unavailable locally