Commentaries On The National Health Insurance Authority Act, 2021 – Healthcare

The National Health Insurance Authority Act, 2021 (“the
Act”) was recently enacted by the National Assembly. The Act
repeals the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) Act, Cap. N42,
LFN, 2004 and aims to facilitate health coverage for all Nigerian
residents by overseeing the promotion, regulation, integration of
health insurance schemes and other related matters in Nigeria.

Below is a summary of some of the significant provisions of the
Act:

1. Administration of the National Health Insurance
Authority

The Act establishes the National Health Insurance Authority
(NHIA or “the Authority”) which will be overseen by a
Governing Council (“the Governing Council”) consisting of
a chairman, the directorgeneral of the NHIA, who will serve as the
secretary, one representative each of the six geo-political zones,
two (2) representatives of organised labour, one representative of
a civil society organisation focused on health activities and one
representative from Federal Ministry of Health, Federal Ministry of
Finance, Nigeria Employers Consultative Association and the Armed
Forces, respectively.

The objectives of the NHIA include:

1. promotion, regulation, and integration of health insurance
   schemes;




2. improving and harnessing private sector participation in the
   provision of health care services; and




3. assisting the authority in achieving universal health coverage
   for all Nigerians.

The Authority shall among its other functions:

• secure mandatory health insurance for every Nigerian and legal
  resident.




• establish a basic minimum package of health service across all
  health insurance providers in the country.




• provide general guidelines for the implementation and
  utilisation of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).




• regulate the activities of Healthcare Facilities, Health
  Maintenance Organisations (HMOs), Mutual Health Associations
  (MHAs), and Third-Party Administrators.




• establish mechanisms for receiving and resolving complaints by
  members of the schemes and Healthcare Facilities, HMOs, MHAs, and
  Third-Party Administrators.

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guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought
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