Reps pass bill on compulsory health insurance scheme for Abuja residents, workers

The bill which seeks to establish Federal Capital Territory Health Insurance Scheme on Thursday scaled through the Third Reading on the floor of the House of Representatives.

The bill which was passed at the Committee of the Whole chaired by Deputy Speaker, Hon. Idris Wase seeks to provide comprehensive,  quality and affordable health care services for all FCT residents.

The three components of the scheme as stipulated in Part IV Section 14 of the bill, are: FCT Equity Health Plan (EHS) for the vulnerable groups; Informal Health Plan (IHP) for all FCT residents employed or engaged in the informal sector and Formal Health Plan (FHP) for all public and organised private formal sector employees wherein the employer and employees shall make contributions as determined by the Board.

ALSO READ: Reps task FG on resuscitation of abandoned coal facilities

Section 7 (c – e) also empowers the Agency to ensure compulsory payment of contributions by employers and employees, determine the number of contributions to be paid by each employee; compulsory payment of contributions by self-employed persons and other persons and rates of such contributions.

The bill also provides for health coverage for the vulnerable group including pregnant women, children under age 5, the disabled, poor and others in need of special care, support or protection because of health status, age, disability, socioeconomic status or risk of abuse or neglect.

In his lead debate, Majority Chief Whip, Hon. Mohammed Monguno who sponsored the bill explained that President Muhammadu Buhari declined assent to the bill which was passed by the 8th Assembly because of non-inclusion of civil society organisation in the board of FCT Health Insurance Scheme.

Part II (5 b – g) of the bill empowers the Agency to ensure that residents of the FCT have financial protection, physical access to quality and affordable health care services; regulate the cost of health care services provided under the scheme; ensure equitable distribution of health care costs across all residents of FCT; maintain high standard of healthcare delivery services within the scheme and ensure efficiency in healthcare service delivery as well as improve and harness private sector participation in the provision of healthcare services.”

In the bid to ensure effective access to healthcare services, section 29 of the bill provides that: “Any person who is proven to be indigent in the FCT and is not insured with the Agency, but has a pre-existing critical medical condition which he cannot pay for, shall have access to the Fund of the Agency.”

Section 31 which provides for non-discrimination, provides that: “no person or group of persons in the FCT with a pre-existing medical condition shall be discriminated against to the extent of alloted fund.

In order to ensure adequate funding of the scheme, section 33(a – e) provides that: “the scale-up grant from the FCT administration for operational expenses and administration of the agency; annual equity fund contribution of at least 2% of the Consolidated Revenue of the FCTA on behalf of vulnerable persons and 1% of the total value of each contract executed by the FCTA as well as funds from NHIS and funds from the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).