The National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) is a Kenyan government organization in charge of providing health insurance to Kenyans. National Health Insurance Fund is abbreviated as NHIF. The government manages and administers the NHIF. Its main goal is to provide cheap healthcare to all Kenyans. For self-employed people, the insurance cover costs 500 KES per month or 6000 KES per year. Employers are required to pay 1700 Kenyan shillings per month to employees earning 100,000 Kenyan shillings or more. After registering as a new member, you must pay for three months at a total cost of 1500, and you must wait two months for it to mature before you can begin receiving benefits. The National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) is normally paid until the fourth month after enrollment.
The NHIF’s headquarters are in Nairobi. The nicest part is that you don’t have to travel to Nairobi to use NHIF. Every county has a branch of the NHIF. NHIF can also be reached by calling *155# on their USSD or visiting their NHIF webpage online.
NHIF USSD
After dialling *155# on the NHIF USSD, you will receive a message similar to the first image.
The menu looks like the second image when you’ve selected your preferred and most handy language. You can then choose which option to pursue. If you are a new member, click 1 to register with NHIF. Option 3 allows you to select a hospital using the same USSD. Option 2 allows you to see if your NHIF account is fully paid or has arrears. Option 4 could be used if you went a month without paying NHIF and were punished. Option 5 is for NHIF account support and related questions. Click 0 to exit the NHIF menu.
NHIF Kenya Online Platform
You can also use NHIF’s internet portal to obtain their services. https://nhifcare.co.ke/Otp.html is their official website. Like the USSD, all you need is your ID number to log on. The menu is nearly identical to the USSD, with the exception that this is a webpage. They send you a one-time code that is valid for one day after you enter your ID number. You type the code into your NHIF self-service portal and log in. You choose which choices you want to test.
Official Mpesa NHIF pay bill number.
M-PESA is NHIF’s billing method because it is the most convenient and widely utilized by Kenyans. You must follow these steps in order to pay the NHIF effectively.
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- Launch M-PESA from your Sim Toolkit.
- Choose Lipa na M-PESA option.
- Select the option to enter the business number, and then enter 200222 as the business or pay bill number.
- Enter your National ID number and press enter account number.
- Select your preferred NHIF payment amount.
- Send the transaction by entering your M-PESA pin.
M-PESA will prompt you to confirm the payment of ‘the amount you selected, for example, ‘Ksh. 600’ to NHIF for an ‘ID number’; they will display your ID number exactly as you entered it.
You can utilize the USSD or send a new SMS to 21101 with ID, then space and type your ID number, e.g. “ID 12312301”, to see if your contributions was received. NHIF will send you a message with all of your NHIF status information. Your member number, your most recent contributions, the dependents listed on your NHIF card, your ID number, and the year you were born will all be included in the message.
Penalties imposed by the NHIF
You must pay NHIF every month by the 9th of the month; if you pay after that date, you will be charged a penalty of 250 KES for each month you do not pay.
You will not be able to use your NHIF card immediately if you pay your penalty today. You’ll have to wait 60 days, or two months, before you may enjoy the cover once more.
What are the options for paying NHIF penalties?
Navigate to the M-PESA menu.
Choose M-PESA lipa.
200222 is the pay bill number.
The number of the account Enter your ID number and the letter “Y” after it.
Enter the defaulted amount and then confirm.
NB If you don’t include the letter y at the end of your ID number, NHIF will be unable to waive the defaulted penalty. If your ID is 12345678, you only need to include y if you’re paying the penalty, so enter 12345678y.
If you are self-employed and have not contributed for a year or more, your account will be deactivated by NHIF. You must spend 1500 KES to reactivate your account and wait two months to get its cover.
It is completely free to apply for the NHIF. There is no charge. Contributions are only made on a monthly basis.
For inpatient services, NHIF can be used in any NHIF-accredited facility. However, only the hospital listed on your card can assist you with outpatient treatments.
The National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) has coverage limits. The maximum daily spend in low-cost governmental hospitals is 1200 KES, whereas the maximum daily spend in private high-cost hospitals is 4000 KES. These prices only apply to inpatient services.
Individuals aged 18 and up are not covered by the NHIF. They must have their own identification card.