Nigeria
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If you’ve come across the saying, “Health is wealth” and ever wondered how you can get a good and affordable health care plan for you and your family in Nigeria. You’ve come to the right place.
Today, I’ll show you how you can get a good health insurance plan, even without leaving your house.
We all know how important it is to live life in peace, happiness and in good health.
Sadly, not everyone is wealthy enough to afford the best healthcare package needed to enjoy life without worry. That’s why getting a good health insurance plan in Nigeria is crucial.
Given the global poverty index and inability of many people to afford the minimum health needs, or even an affordable insurance plan for their families.
This sorry situation is a cause for concern to world leaders and, of course, healthcare providers, who struggle to meet the increase in demand for quality healthcare.
However, many countries of the world have provided a health package to help their citizens, in accordance with the United Nations’s Sustainable Development Goal provisions.
Likewise, the Nigerian government has provided a scheme to help its citizens get good healthcare at an affordable rate.
But first, do you ever wonder how and where to get good health insurance in Nigeria?
In this post, I will show you 2 simple steps to get good health insurance in Nigeria.
Brief History of Health Insurance in Nigeria
National health insurance is a statute that insures a population’s healthcare bills. Nigeria’s Federal Government established the Nigeria National Health Insurance Scheme in 2005 under Act 35 of 1999.
It’s a Public-Private Partnership that aims to provide Nigerians with inexpensive, excellent healthcare.
The Nigerian government established NHIS in 1999 as a social tool to achieve equity in health service delivery. This makes insurance affordable for all Nigerians, regardless of their creed, or ethnic group.
Without the partnership of healthcare providers (hospitals, clinics, etc.), all of these can’t be delivered effectively.
President Buhari signed the National Health Insurance Bill 2022, making health insurance mandatory for all Nigerians.
According to FG, “the law would enable an effective execution of the national health strategy to all Nigerians, regardless of their financial position”, which is in line with the UN’s Global Sustainable Development Goal program.
Who is Eligible for Health Insurance in Nigeria?
The NHIA programme, which was formerly NHIS, is a properly segmented programme that seeks to cover all Nigerians who fit into the following categories:
Formal Sector
- Social Health Insurance Programme.
- Mobile Health.
- Group, Individual and Family Social Health Insurance Programme.
Informal Sector
- Tertiary Institution: Social Health Insurance Programmes.
- Community Based Social Health Insurance Programmes.
- Public Private Partnership – Social Health Insurance Programmes.
Vulnerable Group
- Pregnant Women.
- Children under five years of age.
- Prison Inmates.
- Retirees.
- Aged.
Consideration for Getting Health Insurance
Know Your Health Needs
Before you think about choosing a health insurance plan, it’s important that you identify yours and your family’s health needs.
Knowing that puts you in a vantage position to know the type of health insurance package you will go for.
To achieve that, it’s advised that you visit a certified laboratory to carry out a full-blown health test on yourself, and, of course, family.
Compare Options
After you have a good idea of why you need a health insurance package, it’s important that you carefully compare the various options available to know which one you will go for.
It will help you not only save costs but also, have better information on which to go for, and how it will meet your health needs.
There are lots of options available out there; visit your HMO or HCP to know which one works best for you.
Verify & Visit Your Hospital
After carefully choosing your health insurance plan, your preferred HMO, it’s important you do your due diligence by researching the hospital you want to get your medical care from.
By verifying their registration, ability to deliver on their promise, and checking if they have the personnel and health equipment to meet your health needs.
Choose a hospital with renowned medical facilities that you would wish to visit in the event of a medical emergency. If these hospitals are located close to your house, the better.
Verify & Research Your Insurer
There are many insurers who claim they have the best health insurance plans, and are well experienced in the field. But that shouldn’t sway you at all.
To get the best insurance package, take your time to verify those claims by going online, and offline via people you know. Choose an insurer that has affiliations with renowned medical facilities.
Also, the kinds of policies it provides should be a reflection of its experience. An excellent choice is an insurer with a broad range of products and proven track record of quality service.
Restore Your Plan
If by chance, you exhaust your yearly Medicare options, you can trigger the restoration clause in your plans. This is where your policy’s “restoration” option comes into play.
If you exhaust the money protected under this policy during the year, it will be automatically restored. That retains your former plan in the following year.
But if you choose to change your plans, you can do that. However, that may require additional cost based on your monthly contribution and plan.
Requirements to get Health Insurance in Nigeria
- Completed application form.
- Applicable Proof of Insurance seeker’s age.
- Acceptable Proof of Applicant’s identity.
- Proof of Residence.
- Proof of Employment/Enrolment.
- Passport size photos (as required).
- Report of Medical analysis (if required.)
- Any other documents (as instructed).
Steps to get Health Insurance in Nigeria Now
Before going into the steps you need to take to get an affordable health insurance in Nigeria, let us examine the two ways you can get a good insurance package:
Step 1: Approach HMOs Or HCPs Yourself
If you plan to approach any of the Health Maintenance Organisations or Health Care Professionals in Nigeria of your choice, it’s important that you complete the application form completely with absolute legibility to avoid rejections.
This step will either require you to fill an online form, or visit the HMO’s office in person. Different organisations have their own requirements and processes, and some can take a long time to process.
However, all the requirements below must be available to approach an HMO in person:
- Applicant particulars.
- Identification document number and age.
- Particulars of the company employed in.
- Employee/Student ID number.
- Address and contact details.
- Payment receipt number (if any).
- Phone number.
- Email address.
- Medical information
Step 2: Insure Online with Help Me Waka
After comparing the different ways you can get affordable health insurance in Nigeria, you may wonder why go through an online health insurance brokerage?
It’s pretty simple. They remove the bottleneck associated with going through the regular HMO’s processes and also offer you a list of health insurance plans that can meet your needs.
Given their track record of providing good health insurance plans, they also have a huge network of hospitals across the country to make quality healthcare available to you and your loved ones.
Wouldn’t you want to do all that with ease, and zero stress?
To get started, go through these simple steps:
- Visit www.HelpMeWaka.com
- Click on the “Post an Errand” button on the main menu.
- Scroll down to “Health Insurance”, and click on it. You can also download the detailed insurance plans here.
- Choose the plan that works for you, and fill the simple form below. That’s all it takes.
Remember that Help Me Waka will work with the information you provide. So, provide them with accurate information to make your process seamless.
For more information on how Help Me Waka can help you, mail them at helpme@helpmewaka.com.
Conclusion
Getting health insurance for you and your family is a wise choice. It will put your mind at ease in the event of unforeseen medical emergencies.
However, knowing a trusted broker that will help you make that wise decision a reality is worth the time, given the distractions that exist in the health insurance sector.
Put your trust in the hands of a credible errand delivery service like Help Me Waka, and they will deliver on your most pressing medical needs.
