Parliament approves formula for disbursement of NHI Fund

Parliament has approved the proposed formula for the disbursement of the National Health Insurance Fund for 2020 to enable the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to undertake its activities for the year.

The object of the Fund is to pay for the healthcare services of members of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu, First Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the Committee of the Whole moved the motion for adoption by the House and seconded by the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu.

Section 40 (2) of the National Health Insurance Scheme Act, 2012 (Act 852) specifies that monies from the Fund are to be used to pay for the healthcare cost of members of the NHIS, pay for administrative expenses of the NHIS, and to facilitate the provision of access to healthcare services among others.

The sources for the Fund include; the National Health Insurance Levy (NHIL), 2.5 per cent of a person’s Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) contribution, monies approved for the Fund by Parliament, money that accrue to the Fund from investments made by the Authority, grants, donations, gifts and any other voluntary contributions made to the Fund.

The NHIA also received an amount of GH1.316 billion from the Ministry of Finance for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Premium collected by the Authority amounted to GHC65.49 million, processing fee income was GHC69.65 million and disbursements amounted to GHC12.63 million.

During the period also, donor receipts and other income amounted to GH33.54 million bringing the total receipts to GHC1.530 billion.

Besides, payments made during the period amounted to GHC1.501 billion, which included; claim payments of GHC865.24 million, which translates into 57.6 per cent. Excess receipts overpayments, therefore, stood at GHC29.11 million (operational surplus on a cash basis).

In 2020, the Authority expects to receive a total of GHC 2.372 billion from NHIL/SSNIT and other sources to enable it to execute its mandate during the period.