Private health insurers announce increase in premium
The Association of Private Health Insurers, Ghana, has announced an increase in actuarially determined base premium of GH¢1000 to be applicable to all the minimum plans offered by members.
Mr Roland Oppong Adom, the President of the Association, speaking at a press conference said it was to enable the Association afford the current and escalating healthcare service provider tariffs and ensure sustainability.
He said the actuarial analysis of healthcare claims cost against premiums showed that private health insurance companies were not sustainable if actions was not taken.
He said the driver of the economy was the human resource of the nation and therefore, the healthcare needs of its citizens could not and should not be compromised.
Mr Oppong said time has come for a change in the perception towards medical care, adding that “healthcare cost money and must be paid for, if we are to get value for money.”
The President said the Association had identified malaria, pregnancy related attendance and upper respiratory infections as a major drivers of claims cost and has introduced measures including waiting periods and sub-limits for pre-existing conditions and surgeries.
Other measures are health promotion and education of insured members and the public to reduce incidence of malaria and upper respiratory infections and client contractors are to be updated with utilisation control threshold of 80 per cent.
He said the concept of co-payment has been introduced for clients, who want to use high cost facilities, where for every visit; the member pays an already agreed percentage of the cost per visit directly to the medical provider.
He said the Association was prepared to engage continually with healthcare service providers on tariff negotiation and best practices in the treatment protocols.
He, therefore, commended the National Health Insurance Authority for their recent reforms and implored all providers to be credentialed by the Authority as required by law.
Source: GNA