BRIDGING THE HEALTHCARE DISTRIBUTION GAP WITH HEALTH INSURANCE

Healthcare Analytics Consults
4 min readOct 3, 2022

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“Health is wealth”

We can never run out of the truth in this phrase. Every part of your life relies on you having good health. The basic laws of good health are related to the food we eat, the amount of physical exercise we do, our mental well-being, rest, relaxation, and spiritual well-being. A healthy person usually has their physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual life in check. Although, no one can attain 100% health.

The only part of good health we can generally control is our physical well-being.

A Gap in Healthcare

A gap in healthcare refers to the disparity between health care needs and healthcare services when comparing different populations that fall along racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic lines. In the bid to take actions to minimize inequality and transform it into quality for all, health insurance in full coverage should be adopted for the benefit of all populations. Without disputing the growing adoption of health insurance in some populations, the major part of the population that needs the high quality of health includes the minority, socioeconomically disadvantaged, and low-income earners who most times cannot afford health insurance and thus do not have access to proper medical care, unable to access adequate medical care due to geographical location for example in the rural areas, or unable to receive the proper treatment for their medical needs due to high costs, lack of adequate information regarding medical options, or potentially uninterested.

Health Insurance

Health insurance is a system for the financing of medical expenses by means of contributions or taxes paid into a common fund to pay for all or part of health services specified in an insurance policy. Health insurance is like a bridge to premier healthcare, a link to good health, wise financial thinking for a healthy life, and the right plan for a healthier you.

Source: Pinterest.

Importance of Health Insurance

No one plans to get sick or hurt, but most people need medical care at some point. As the public and private sectors look for ways to expand the reach of health insurance for all groups, here are three things that health insurance for all groups would get you:

Protection from unexpected high medical costs: Healthcare costs are definitely among the most difficult to forecast given the unpredictable nature of accidents and unexpected diagnoses. Honestly, the costs associated with unexpected health issues can be staggering. The increased risk of chronic diseases in all areas of Nigeria is not only alarming but also quite expensive. A treatment option for a chronic kidney (transplant) requires about fifteen million naira for the evaluation and surgery with a year of medication but catering to these huge medical costs can only be achieved if a larger percentage of citizens see health insurance as a wealth plan.

Free preventive care like vaccines, screenings, and some checkups: A typical view of the current state of not just the world, but Nigeria right now, COVID-19 was unexpected and the effect it had on every citizen from physical, emotional, mental to spiritual well-being cannot be overemphasized. The test fee for COVID-19 PCR (screening) is currently 50,000 naira and above. Screenings are one major form of preventive care and imagine having to pay that amount of money based on a symptom you feel, and then the result comes out negative. Now imagine all of these covered because you’ve been bridging a gap through payment of insurance.

Assurance: This will reduce or even totally eliminate the usual habit of family members selling off their assets in order to generate money for treatment in emergency cases of life-threatening conditions and illnesses. According to the ministry of health, it claims that the National Health Insurance Scheme is in fact the most comprehensive in the world owing to its benefits package.

Health is not only the absence of illnesses; it is also the ability of people to develop to their potential during their entire lives. In that sense, health is asset individuals possess for their selves, the people around them, and a country. Health insurance is likewise financial thinking for a healthy life and the right plan for a healthier you.

Source: Pinterest

You should get your health insurance today!
A very important key pointer is one of our partners, “Total Health Trust” offers comprehensive corporate health insurance coverage which helps provide access to sustainable healthcare services for employees.

Follow HCA for more health related articles to deliberate on. What do you think of health insurance?

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Healthcare Analytics Consults

A healthcare marketing and communications organization, creating an avenue to deliberate on the health sector in Africa.