GIFSHIP: What to know about the new family health insurance

The Federal Government on Thursday formally launched the Group, Individual and Family Social Health Insurance Programme (GIFSHIP) to give Nigerians not captured under any form of heath insurance an opportunity to benefits from it. GIFSHIP which replaces the Vital Contributors Social Health Insurance Programme (VCSHIP) was a product of the lessons learnt and the experience […]

The Federal Government on Thursday formally launched the Group, Individual and Family Social Health Insurance Programme (GIFSHIP) to give Nigerians not captured under any form of heath insurance an opportunity to benefits from it.

GIFSHIP which replaces the Vital Contributors Social Health Insurance Programme (VCSHIP) was a product of the lessons learnt and the experience gained from implementing the previous programme, the Minister, Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH), Dr. Osagie Ehanire stated while launching the programme.

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GIFSHIP would provide an opportunity for affordable individual enrolment, enrolment of a family unit or a group of people in which any of the enrolments can also be sponsored by well-meaning individuals, Trusts, or organizations.

According to the Director General, National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Prof. Sambo Muhammed, GIFSHIP is health insurance that is taken up and paid for by groups, individuals and families not covered by NHIS platforms.

He said this new programme will enable individuals, families and groups to join the NHIS ecosystem while he gave some of the features of the programme as: the inbuilt mechanisms to guard against moral hazard, adverse selection as well as allowing room for organizations, political office holders, donor agencies, multinational corporations, philanthropists and people in diaspora to contribute their quota towards the attainment of Universal Health Coverage.

The ES enjoined everyone to make out time to share this pivotal moment with the scheme by being advocates of GIFSHIP, and help spread the word that FMoH now has an omnibus enrolment platform within NHIS to backup health care cover for Nigerians, especially those not currently captured under any from of health insurance by an employer.

Eligibility

Those eligible to benefit are people that are into,

i. Small scale enterprises with less than 10 staff.

il. Non cohesive groups of persons, such as: Associations, Unions and institutions outside the Organised Private Sector (OPS) Self-employed individuals, families and groups
Retirees and retiree associations

v. Diaspora groups

vi. Foreigners living in Nigeria

vii. Adopted persons, such as those paid for by members of the National Assembly and Philanthropists etc.

Scope of Coverage

The scope of coverage shall be individuals. This shall either be contributing individuals; individual members of a family; individuals in a group or in Organisations employing less than 10 employees.

Who finances it

GIFSHIP would be financed from contributions made by interested individuals.

The contribution rate is as follows:

i. For the individual subscriber, the contribution rate is N45,000 per annum. The subscriber may add two direct dependents.

ii. A family will contribute N60,000 for four biologically related persons

iii. Each extra dependent of a family will be enrolled at N15,000. Ten persons shall be the minimum number

iv. Persons in a group, except small scale enterprises with less than 10 employees.

v. Group enrolment is at a contribution rate of N15,000 per person per annum

vi. These rates are subject to changes as may be determined from time to time by the NHIS.