With the Ministry of Medical Services frowning upon low-cost health insurance schemes, it pays to know what else is out there. Last week, we covered Academic Insurance. This week, we will discuss Health Insurance and see what some of the country's top service providers have to offer.

How does it Work?

The concept of health insurance can be broken down into 3 stages: First, the insured party pays monthly contributions to the insurance company. These contributions are also known as premiums and are used by the insurer like a form of collateral in case the insured needs medical attention. Secondly, the service provider pays for the policy-holder's medical expenses up to a specified limit. Finally, all policies include a number of benefits which vary based on the service provider.

How Much does it Cost?

Given the recent increase in low-cost medical insurance packages, almost anyone can get a cover. Take UAP’s Salama Sure, for instance; The policy allows low- income earners to contribute about  KES 2400 a year with daily contributions of KES 7 a day for a medical cover. Others like CIC have schemes that cost as little as KES 10 a day.

It is important to note that some insurers base their policies on the patients’ age and pre-existing medical conditions. Companies like Resolution Health have different premiums for policy holders within specified age brackets. Those aged between 19 and 24 can pay for a basic Crystal Plan with an annual premium of KES 13,935 while those over the age of 50 pay at least KES 31,968 a year.

Comprehensive Insurance from Resolution Health costs annual premium of KES 48351 for policy holders between 25 and 34 years. Those aged between 50 and 64 pay KES 99,246 a year.

What are the Benefits?

Benefits depend on the insurance policy. Some insurers provide a full cover for all illnesses. Others only cater for inpatient healthcare. Jubilee’s basic individual medical cover has a benefit limit of up to KES 1 million. This means that the insurer will cover all medical costs as long as they do not exceed the stipulated limit.

A comprehensive insurance from Resolution Health can get you a cover limit of up to KES 10 million. The scheme, popularly known as the Premium Plus Plan, gets the policy holder a private hospital room, an organ transplant cover, international emergency cover, overseas evacuation, and an annual medical checkup.

Resolution Health offers outpatient packages on top of their basic and comprehensive inpatient covers. For a minimum annual premium of KES 10,000, policy holders can get outpatient insurance for a dental or optical cover.

We've already covered low-cost health insurance. Now we take a look at some of the country's top insurers and their basic and comprehensive covers:

[caption id="attachment_19598" align="aligncenter" width="464"] Health Insurance Packages[/caption]

*Resolution Health's package is for policy holders aged between 24 to 34 years. Those aged between 35 to 49 get the same benefits but pay about KES 19,000 in annual premiums for the Crystal package. Ages 50 to 64 pay KES 32,000.