NHIF stands for National Health Insurance Fund, which is a mandatory government-run health insurance scheme in Kenya.
It was established in 1966 to provide Kenyan citizens with affordable and accessible health care services. The fund is financed by contributions from employed Kenyans, self-employed individuals, and employers.
The NHIF scheme provides various health services to its members, including inpatient and outpatient medical care, maternity care, renal dialysis, and cancer treatment.
Additionally, it covers the cost of medical equipment, surgical expenses, and specialized treatment. To become an NHIF member, one needs to register and pay the required contributions according to their income bracket.
The contributions are made monthly, and the amount varies depending on one’s income level.
NHIF members can access healthcare services from any accredited healthcare facility in Kenya, including public, private, and mission hospitals.
The benefits of NHIF membership are numerous.
Firstly, NHIF members are entitled to a wide range of medical services, including inpatient and outpatient treatment, maternity care, specialized surgeries, and chronic illnesses.
Secondly, NHIF provides cash benefits to members who are hospitalized for more than 24 hours. The cash benefit is intended to cater to incidental expenses such as transport, meals, and accommodation.
How to pay NHIF via M-PESA
How to pay NHIF via M-PESA is one of the many asked questions. Contributions for employees in the formal sector are automatically remitted by their employers.
However, those in the informal sector can pay via bank or M-PESA. The contributions of voluntary and self-employed are Ksh 500 per month.
You can decide how many months you want to pay for. The most popular mode of payment is using Mpesa as it is easy and convenient.
The following steps will help you on how to pay NHIF via M-PESA;
- Open your SIM Tool Kit and go to Mpesa Menu
- Go to Lipa Mpesa
- Select Paybill and enter 200222 as the business/pay bill number
- Enter your National ID number as your account number
- Enter the amount you want to pay
- Input your pin number and confirm the transaction then send
- After payment, you will get a transactional message from Mpesa confirming your contribution.
How to confirm NHIF payment
You can easily check the status of your account using a mobile phone by carrying out the following steps;
- Compose a new SMS
- Type the letters “ID”, space, then your ID number.
- Send the SMS to 21101
You will get a reply showing your member number, your ID number, year of birth, your last contributions, and your dependents.
How to pay NHIF penalty
Below are simple steps on how to pay your NHIF penalty via M-PESA;
Step 1: Go to your M-PESA Menu
Step 2: Click on Lipa Na M-PESA
Step 3: Select Paybill Option
Step 4: Enter Business Number(200222)
Step 5: Enter your National ID number as the account number and add the letter “y”, for instance, 34566732y. This treats the payment as a penalty
Step 6: Enter the amount to contribute
Step 7: Input your Mpesa pin number and send
You will get a confirmation message containing the details of your NHIF payment.