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Explainer: So when will National Health Insurance actually kick in?
South Africa

Explainer: So when will National Health Insurance actually kick in?

by  Kelly Lippke 2 min read

- Parliament recently announced that the passing of its NHI Bill has been set into motion

- The Bill has drawn both praise and criticism since then

- However, it will likely still be several years before NHI is fully implemented

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There has been considerable debate around the NHI Bill in recent weeks, but the scheme is still years away from being implemented.

The implementation of the NHI is only expected to be completed by 2026.

The Bill still needs to proceed through a number of phases.

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The Bill has two phases - one running from 2017 to 2022 and another from 2022 to 2026. Certain measures will have be taken during these phases to improve the healthcare system. The Bill sets out certain objectives which must be met by the end of the first phase. 

Additionally, the Bill will have to proceed through normal parliamentary channels before it can be passed, which includes public consultations, Briefly.co.za has gathered. Thereafter, the Bill will go to a vote in the National Assembly.

If it is successful there, it will proceed to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) for another vote. If the Bill passes the vote in this chamber as well it will end up on the president's desk. The president will then have to sign it into law, according to News24.

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Once implemented, the NHI will be primarily funded through tax revenue. Payment to the scheme will be mandatory. Additionally, private insurers and other medical aids will not be able to cover services already covered by the NHI.

This has raised some concern, as it may make it more expensive to obtain certain medical services without assistance from the NHI.

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Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Kelly Lippke avatar

Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.

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