Kenya: Kenya's President Rushed Through Universal Health Reforms. How He Did It and Why This Matters
[The Conversation Africa] For decades, Kenyans without health insurance have had one option when they fall sick, or a hospital bill arrives. Reach out to friends and family to gather what they can for their healthcare.
Kenya's President William Ruto recently rushed through universal health reforms, transforming the country's healthcare system. Prior to this, only a quarter of Kenyans had health insurance, leaving the remaining 75% to pay for medical expenses out of their own pockets. The new law, the Social Health Insurance Act, scrapped the existing state insurer and mandated all Kenyans, regardless of employment status, to contribute 2.75% of their income to the new Social Health Authority.
This move aimed to increase health insurance coverage, reduce out-of-pocket expenditures, and move Kenya towards universal health coverage.
Written by urgent.news from AllAfrica Health's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
