The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has released an additional GH¢135.6 million to healthcare providers across the country. The payment is aimed at settling outstanding claims up to February this year for the higher tier healthcare providers, and up to March 2024 for majority of facilities at the lower tier.
The acting Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Scheme, Dr Da-Costa Aboagye, told the Daily Graphic after a statement he issued that the payment was also to close the gap between the higher tier and lower tier facilities.
“This payment now ensures that the only outstanding payments due the clients would be within the three months reimbursable agreed period with facilities,” the CEO said.
Last month, the NHIA paid GH¢300 million to facilities across the country, mainly to lower tier health facilities. Providing a breakdown on the latest payment, Dr Aboagye said GH¢80 million was for public health facilities; GH¢2.14 million to quasi-public health facilities; GH¢27.83 million to private health facilities and GH¢25.85 million to mission health facilities.
For the GH¢300 million paid last month, Dr Aboagye gave the breakdown as GH¢137.03 million to public health facilities; GH¢4.74 million to quasi-public health facilities; GH¢105.48 million to private health facilities and GH¢58.54 million to mission health facilities.
“This disbursement is part of ongoing commitment to ensure the sustainability and efficiency of healthcare delivery under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
“It is aimed at settling outstanding claims up to February this year for the higher tier healthcare providers and up to March 2024 for majority of facilities at the lower tier,” the acting CEO of NHIA stated.
Dr Aboagye said the payments were in fulfilment of the NHIA’s mandate as a payer of healthcare services for disease conditions prescribed in the NHIS Benefit Package.
“The NHIS Benefit Package covers over 95 per cent of disease conditions that afflict residents and is supported with over 550 formulations on the NHIS medicines list to take care of all the diseases covered under the scheme,” he said.