Speaking during an interview, Nakhumicha
explained that the percentage was proposed by actuarial scientists domiciled at
the Ministry of Health.
She explained that the
scientists calculated the percentage based on the money needed to fund all
public health facilities in Kenya.
“First, we looked at the baseline.
"We took into consideration the existing National Health Insurance
Fund (NHIF) and what were the ranges of payment,” she explained.
“When we looked at it, the
person who paid the most is anybody earning Ksh10,000 and below.”
According to the CS, this
category was being deducted up to 5 per cent towards NHIF while top earners
paid a negligible amount.
Giving an example of President
William Ruto, she explained that the Head of State was paying as little as 0.01
per cent of his gross income towards NHIF.
CS Nakhumicha remarked that the
Ministry decided to rectify the unfairness and make sure there were constant
percentages in terms of deductibles.
To settle on the constant
percentage, the actuarial scientists were presented with data on how much
funding health facilities needed.
At the tertiary level, which
consists of Level 6 Hospitals, the Health Ministry needs to spend Ksh46 billion
to ensure health services are provided uninterrupted.
“Secondary level consisting of
Level 4 and 5 we found Ksh130 billion was needed while primary level consisting
of community health promoters and Level 1 and 2 hospitals need Ksh80 billion,”
the CS explained.
Based on those calculations, the
actuaries arrived at 2.75% deductions on gross income as revealed by the
CS.
The minimum mandatory
contribution towards SHIF will be Ksh300 and unlike in the past when NHIF
targeted salaried employees, the new deductions will be mandatory for every
Kenyan.
Vulnerable households who cannot
afford the minimum mandatory deductions will have their contributions covered
by the national government.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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