Health insurance compulsory now for employers, says FG

The Federal Government has made health insurance mandatory for all employers and employees in public, private, and informal sectors.

This became sacrosanct as the Federal Government noted that only states with established health insurance schemes and contributory schemes would benefit from the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund.

Recall that the President, Muhammadu Buhari, signed the National Health Insurance Authority Bill 2021 last week.

The newly signed law by the President repeals the National Health Insurance Scheme Act 2004.

In the previous Act, states were required to pay a 50 per cent counterpart fund to access the total fund for the BHCPF.

Section 13, sub-section 8 of the newly signed Act, provided that “Every state that has established a State Health Insurance or Contributory Scheme and complies with this Act’s requirements shall be eligible to participate in the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund as established under the National Health Act and its guidelines.”

Similarly, section 14, sub-sections 1 and 2, states that “Subject to the provisions of this Act, every person resident in Nigeria shall be required to obtain health insurance. Residents under this act include all employers and employees in public and private sectors with five staff and above, informal sector employees, and all other residents of Nigeria.”