New medical aid that covers all

NAMIBIA’S second largest private medical aid fund, the Namibia Health Plan (NHP), has introduced a low-cost benefit option that will provide affordable medical cover to less privileged members of society and HIV-AIDS sufferers.

NHP’s Blue Diamond low-cost benefit option is the first of its kind in the country to offer an unrestricted benefit for antiretroviral therapy for the treatment of HIV-AIDS at primary health care clinics. Blue Diamond also aims at providing primary healthcare services to lower-income groups who previously were marginalised and did not have access to subsidised private healthcare.The company noted that with a significant and increasing number of the Namibian workforce suffering from HIV-AIDS, it was becoming vital that a product be developed which could provide affordable yet comprehensive medical aid treatment to those people who are most affected and yet not in a position to afford an expensive medical aid fund.The newly established product also provides unlimited cover for hospital and surgical admissions and treatment at the private wings of State hospitals, and unlimited cover for day-to-day medical services subject to the provision that members would be restricted to using the facilities of the network service provider only.According to NHP, the Blue Diamond option is based on “sound underlying actuarial principles” to ensure the product is based on a realistic scenario with the sole purpose of succeeding in the long term.”The product, due to its affordability, also provides a sustainable answer to many employer groups where a large proportion of their employees were previously declined medical aid cover or in the alternative simply resigned from their existing medical aid funds due to their membership simply becoming too expensive.”The Blue Diamond option should be viewed as a complementary effort…to facilitate cheaper access to medical aid fund membership.”Blue Diamond also aims at providing primary healthcare services to lower-income groups who previously were marginalised and did not have access to subsidised private healthcare.The company noted that with a significant and increasing number of the Namibian workforce suffering from HIV-AIDS, it was becoming vital that a product be developed which could provide affordable yet comprehensive medical aid treatment to those people who are most affected and yet not in a position to afford an expensive medical aid fund.The newly established product also provides unlimited cover for hospital and surgical admissions and treatment at the private wings of State hospitals, and unlimited cover for day-to-day medical services subject to the provision that members would be restricted to using the facilities of the network service provider only.According to NHP, the Blue Diamond option is based on “sound underlying actuarial principles” to ensure the product is based on a realistic scenario with the sole purpose of succeeding in the long term.”The product, due to its affordability, also provides a sustainable answer to many employer groups where a large proportion of their employees were previously declined medical aid cover or in the alternative simply resigned from their existing medical aid funds due to their membership simply becoming too expensive.”The Blue Diamond option should be viewed as a complementary effort…to facilitate cheaper access to medical aid fund membership.”