National Health Insurance
NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE SCHEME
WHAT IS THE MAJOR GOVERNMENT POLICY ON HEALTH FINANCING IN GHANA? The Government is to replace the existing ‘Cash and Carry’ health financing system with a National Health Insurance Scheme. WHY? Because the current ‘Cash and Carry’ System, which makes it compulsory for everybody to pay money immediately before and after treatment in our hospitals/clinics etc., is not within the means of most Ghanaians and many are not going to our hospitals and clinics resulting in needless deaths. SO WHAT WILL THE HEALTH INSURANCE DO? The health insurance will allow everybody to make contributions into a fund so that in the event of illness contributors could be supported by the fund to receive affordable healthcare in our health facilities. HOW WILL THIS BE DONE? The Government has already developed a policy framework to provide the general guidelines for the establishment of the National Health Insurance Scheme. A law has been passed to provide the legal framework necessary to facilitate the establishment of the National Health Insurance Scheme. The law makes it compulsory for all Ghanaians to join a health insurance scheme in Ghana. THERE ARE THREE TYPES OF SCHEMES AVAILABLE UNDER THE LAW: • • • The District-Wide Mutual Health Insurance Scheme. The Private Mutual Health Insurance Scheme. The Private Commercial Health Insurance Scheme.
The Government does not want to take chances and has therefore decided to support the District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme concept to ensure that: • • • Opportunity is provided for all Ghanaians to have equal access to the functional structures of Health Insurance. Ghanaians do not move from an unaffordable ‘Cash and carry’ regime to another unaffordable Health Insurance one. A sustainable Health Insurance option is made available to all Ghanaians.
•
The quality of healthcare provision is not compromised under Health Insurance.
SO HOW WILL THE DISTRICT-WIDE SCHEMES LOOK LIKE? Each district will be
WHAT IS THE MAJOR GOVERNMENT POLICY ON HEALTH FINANCING IN GHANA? The Government is to replace the existing ‘Cash and Carry’ health financing system with a National Health Insurance Scheme. WHY? Because the current ‘Cash and Carry’ System, which makes it compulsory for everybody to pay money immediately before and after treatment in our hospitals/clinics etc., is not within the means of most Ghanaians and many are not going to our hospitals and clinics resulting in needless deaths. SO WHAT WILL THE HEALTH INSURANCE DO? The health insurance will allow everybody to make contributions into a fund so that in the event of illness contributors could be supported by the fund to receive affordable healthcare in our health facilities. HOW WILL THIS BE DONE? The Government has already developed a policy framework to provide the general guidelines for the establishment of the National Health Insurance Scheme. A law has been passed to provide the legal framework necessary to facilitate the establishment of the National Health Insurance Scheme. The law makes it compulsory for all Ghanaians to join a health insurance scheme in Ghana. THERE ARE THREE TYPES OF SCHEMES AVAILABLE UNDER THE LAW: • • • The District-Wide Mutual Health Insurance Scheme. The Private Mutual Health Insurance Scheme. The Private Commercial Health Insurance Scheme.
The Government does not want to take chances and has therefore decided to support the District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme concept to ensure that: • • • Opportunity is provided for all Ghanaians to have equal access to the functional structures of Health Insurance. Ghanaians do not move from an unaffordable ‘Cash and carry’ regime to another unaffordable Health Insurance one. A sustainable Health Insurance option is made available to all Ghanaians.
•
The quality of healthcare provision is not compromised under Health Insurance.
SO HOW WILL THE DISTRICT-WIDE SCHEMES LOOK LIKE? Each district will be