An overview of the National Health Insurance Bill

SECTION27

Sasha Stevenson, head of the health rights programme at SECTION27 explains what the proposed National Health Insurance Bill says and outlines some of the key concerns around the information not included in the bill and the areas on which healthcare users should be asking for clarity. She provides an overview of the three major aspects of the NHI Bill that we think need to change.

1. Governance – The Minister of Health appoints the NHI Fund Board members (after appointing the ad hoc panel that interviews and recommends them), the Board Chairperson, and the CEO of the NHI Fund. In simple terms, decision-making is far too concentrated.

2. Transparency – To increase public trust in the NHI and to reduce the risk of corruption under NHI, it is imperative that all NHI-related processes and decisions are as transparent as possible.

3. Try before you buy – The NHI Bill introduces a range of new structures and administrations that are untested. We are bringing the establishment of these new structures into law, with no way to turn back if they fail, and without any transition provisions that could stagger implementation and allow for learnings.