The Lagos State House of Assembly, on Monday, passed the state Health Insurance Bill into law. The law makers said the scheme applied to all residents of the state, including employees in the private and public sectors, the self-employed and the unemployed.
The executive bill provides for setting up of an agency that would be empowered to run the scheme. A general manager would head the agency.
The law assures for a basic, defined minimum benefit package of healthcare services for primary care, according to report read on the floor before the passage of the bill.
It provides for variety of packages in healthcare services in direct proportion to the contribution and any other component as may be developed by the agency with the approval of the board.
The scheme shall be compulsory and applies to all residents of the state that were not covered by an existing health scheme, while all residents in the formal or informal sector are also to be covered by the scheme.
Deputy Speaker, Honourable Taiwo Kolawole, who presided at the plenary, directed the clerk of the assembly to forward the bill to the governor for assent.
The State Health Insurance law is however not the first of its kind in Nigeria. The Federal Government established a National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, under Act 35 of 1999 constitution.
While the Lagos State health insurance law applies to only those resident in the state, the National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, provides easy access to healthcare for all Nigerians at an affordable cost.
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Yetunde Daniel
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