Someone once said that in Kenya, you are one illness away from poverty. Much as we would want to hide from that painful fact, it really is clear. Healthcare in this country is costly.
Luckily, we have the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF). This insurance scheme is available for all Kenyans. For those in formal employment, their contribution to this scheme is often deducted alongside other statutory deductions such as Taxes.
For the self-employed however, the terms weren’t as clear. Until NHIF introduced Supa Cover, a scheme where users can pay for their own medical insurance cover.
The following are the steps to follow in order to Pay NHIF via Mpesa paybill number 200222 , your unique NHIF account number and National ID card number :
- Go to Safaricom menu and select MPESA.
- Choose the Pay Bill option.
- For the M- NHIF Pay bill number (business number), enter 200222.
- Enter your contributor’s National Identity Card Number.
- Enter the amount to contribute.
- M-PESA asks for your M-PESA PIN. Enter your Mpesa PIN and hit OK.
- M-PESA gives you the confirmation screen. Carefully confirm that all theb details are correct. Press OK to finish to pay NHIF via Mpesa.
- You will receive an M-PESA Transaction confirmation SMS!
For self employed Kenyans, this is the way to go if affordable healthcare is something you would be interested in. It also pays to visit your nearest NHIF office with all the queries you have, maybe the monthly rates, penalties should you default on payments, adding your dependents, the terms governing the same and much more.
Of course we will try to cover the Frequently Asked Questions about NHIF in another post but it is important that you are covered should anything unfortunate befalls you or your keen.