Before the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) becomes operational from July 1, 2024, when deductions to it will begin after all qualifying Kenyans get registered to the new state health protection scheme, the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) is still at work, and its members, who are ill, can still walk to hospitals accepting the government health insurance and get treated.
SHIF, a comprehensive health and medical cover, is looking to provide more improved universal healthcare, from community healthcare to hospital care, that is free at the point of need for all residents, which is why it is replacing NHIF.
But until then, today, we are seeing how, with your NHIF card, you can change the hospital listing to access medical services nearby because it is currently active and working:
How to change the hospital listing on your NHIF card
People change hospital listings on their insurance cards for many reasons ranging from their want for better services to location needs. Luckily, NHIF allows that, and its members can edit the hospitals to their preferred choices.
If you are wondering how you can change the hospitals on your NHIF card in 2024, here is the guide;
The guide applies to those on National Scheme Cover dubbed ‘The Supacover‘ in which members have a choice of selecting their desired NHIF outpatient hospitals they would like to be treated from a list of over 7,000 hospitals providing comprehensive packages for radiology, oncology, renal dialysis, surgery, maternity and more.
They are permitted to do so every quarter through the following steps;
Way 1: One can change their NHIF outpatient hospital listing manually on their phone using USSD *155#
Way 2: It is possible to change the NHIF hospitals at its self-help portal on the website online through these steps;
1. Visit selfcare.nhif.or.ke
2. Enter your ID number and click ‘Continue.’ You will receive a One-Time Password (OTP) on your registered phone number
3. Check your SMS inbox, enter the OTP and click ‘Verify’ to be redirected to your NHIF account’s dashboard
4. Choose ‘Facilities’
5. Go to ‘Change Outpatient Facility’
6. On the new page, you will see your listed hospitals, name, and membership number. Move to select your county and change to new preferred facilities in the dropdown menu
8. Click ‘Change Facility’ to apply the change
After a few minutes, you will receive feedback from NHIF that you have changed your outpatient hospitals successfully.
Alternatively, you can change your NHIF outpatient hospitals using the NHIF app available on Google Play Store and other leading app marketplaces.
When can one change NHIF Outpatient Hospital in 2024?
For all NHIF Supa Cover members, changing hospitals is possible every quarterly a year in March, June, September, and December. However, NHIF implements the new choice of facility biannually in January and July of every year.
