AN ACTUARIAL analysis conducted by the ruling National Democratic Congress
(NDC) indicates that Ghanaians will be faced with serious financial burden,
as subscribers are likely to pay as much as GH¢678 or ¢6.78 million for the
one-time insurance premium promised by the governing party.

Deputy Minister for Health, Robert Joseph Mettle-Nunoo, who released some
figures on the floor of Parliament yesterday, announced that although
amounts for the intended policy are yet to be fixed, the actuarial analysis
showed that a person entering the new scheme at the age of 18 or above will
have to cough out GH¢678, whilst those who are 30 years and above will pay
GH¢587.

Subscribers at age 50 are also expected to pay GH¢365, with those from 60
years and above paying GH¢214 to receive medical attention in the formal
sector.

Furthermore, those in the informal sector like the unemployed, artisans,
‘kayayei’, market women, trotro drivers and their mates, among others, will
pay GH¢50, irrespective of their ages, and this, according to the Deputy
Health Minister, could be introduced by 2011.

However, Member of Parliament for Sunyani East, Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh, who
quizzed the Health Ministry on the actuarial analysis relating to one-time
payment of insurance premium, contended that the new arrangement will
worsen the plight of the ordinary Ghanaian seeking health care.

“Even at the current level of yearly premium of GH¢15, some people are not
able to pay, so how do you expect them to cough out GH¢678 for the one time
premium?”, Hon. Ameyaw-Cheremeh asked, admonishing the ruling NDC to do a
sober reflection on the issue, as in his view, this is not a one-off
payment but a clear way of accumulating many years for people to pay at a
go.

He said even though it was the NDC’s campaign promise to implement the
one-time premium, the Atta Mills-led administration should be humble and
bold enough to tell Ghanaians if is not possible to execute the policy so
as to save the health insurance from total collapse.

This is happening at the time that the National Health Insurance Scheme is
said to be collapsing, as the former Minister for Health and
Transportation, Dr. Richard Anane, has told Parliament that for 10 months
now, some health institutions in the Brong Ahafo Region have not been paid
their insurance claims.

However, Mr. Mettle-Nunoo, in providing answers, indicated that actuarial
analysis took into consideration the inclusion of the Military and Police
Services on the National Health Insurance Scheme.

According to him, the results showed that without introducing one-time
premium payment, the NHIS will experience a negative balance in 2010, where
programme expenditure is expected to exceed revenue.

Its reserves will be quickly used up in subsequent years and get depleted
by 2016.

This, notwithstanding, Mettle-Nunoo said an actuarially-determined one-time
premium, based on the current annual premiums, will give rise to amounts
beyond the pockets of most Ghanaians.

“A one-time premium payment within the reach of most Ghanaians, the study
found, will result in the National Health Insurance Finance (NHIF) reserves
getting depleted one year earlier than anticipated in 2015,” he said.

The Ministry of Health, he hinted, is therefore undertaking some reform
programmes to pave the way for implementation of the one-time premium
payment.

These include improving the use of standard treatment guidelines and
rational prescription by service providers to reduce cost of treatment,
improve the logistic management system in the sector to bring down the cost
of inputs such as medicines and consumables.

The rest are to reform the claims management process to reduce connivance
and wastage from lack of capacity, as well as undertake legal review aimed
at improving efficiency and reducing costs.

Mr. Mettle-Nunoo said the Health Ministry is also exploring sources of
additional funding to further build up the NHIF reserves and make the NHIS
sustainable, even after the introduction of a one-time premium

payment. Such new sources, he stated, will be proposed to the government
and Parliament for consideration.