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By Sarafa Ibrahim
Oftentimes, some people wave aside the suggestion of the need for a healthcare coverage. In this category are healthy people and young adults who usually feel that they don’t need a health coverage, believing that it is an expense they can forgo as they rarely get sick and may not need to go to the hospital.
But what they seem to be missing is that illnesses or accident can happen to anyone at anytime. And the only way to handle such scenario and the attendant financial implication is to have a healthcare coverage, which is what the Osun Health Insurance Scheme (OHIS) is all about.
So, what is OHIS, and how exactly can it impact your health? OHIS was set up in 2018 primarily to provide a healthcare coverage for the people of Osun state. It basically offers a helping hand, making sure that you do not shoulder the financial burden of maintaining your health alone. In short, OHIS is your partner for good health, and the good thing about its coverage, is that it shield you from severe financial exposure that comes with getting good healthcare.
For example, a cesarean section for a pregnant woman to have safe delivery can cost N300,000 in healthcare expenses. Without the OHIS coverage, the concerned or her family will be responsible for the full cost of the bill. However, the experience will be different if covered by the OHIS, as the cost to pay will be as low as N30,000, while OHIS takes up the balance of the healthcare expenses.
That is one of the incredible benefits of the OHIS coverage. It gets even more better for people with prevailing medical conditions as the OHIS coverage helps them to avoid the huge financial burden of receiving good healthcare, and in turn, prevent the occurrence of untimely deaths that are usually associated with the challenges of funding healthcare.
And the good thing in all these arrangement with the OHIS is that it significantly expands your options when it comes to healthcare providers and treatments. With a coverage plan with the OHIS, you choose from a more extensive network of healthcare facilities, both private and publicly owned, ensuring that you receive the care you need and when you need it. It even extends outside Osun state as subscribers can access healthcare outside the state, and the OHIS takes up its share of the medical bill.
Take, for instance, that you travelled to Lagos to visit a relative, and while you are there, you developed some medical condition that requires treatment. With the OHIS card that you would be given upon enrolment, you do not have to worry as you can get the needed medicare at any healthcare centre accredited by the OHIS. Without the OHIS coverage, your options may be limited, and accessing necessary care could become a challenging ordeal due to the huge cost required.
But that is not all. The OHIS coverage extends to the cost of drugs, making sure that people can have access to prescribed drugs at an affordable rate. At a time like this, when price of drugs has skyrocketed, a lot of people are finding it hard to afford prescribed drugs and, in turn, worsening their health conditions. But this won’t be a problem with the OHIS coverage because, just like your medical bill, it will share the significant portion of the cost of your medication.
If, for example, the cost of your prescribed drug is N45,000, all that you will be required to pay is 10% of that cost, which is N4,500 if you’re on the OHIS coverage plan. Imagine the financial exposure without the OHIS coverage, a situation that has taken required medication out of the reach of many people and causing devastating impact on their health.
In short, the OHIS is structured to save lives and make people live healthier by simplifying access to healthcare service at any point of need. And the good thing here is that you do not need to break the bank to enjoy the immense benefits that the OHIS coverage offers through its range of plan. It cost almost nothing to be enrolled on the OHIS plans, and not just you is covered but members of your family depending on your subscription.
And more, the healthcare plan offered by the OHIS is all-encompassing, meaning that all strata of society can benefit from it and a wide range of health issues is covered. Whether you’re in the formal or the informal sector; educated or the illiterate; the rich and the poor; fit or physically challenged, there is always a plan for you to enjoy a qualitative healthcare service alongside members of your family.
All that is required to unlock the immense benefits that the OHIS offers is to pick up a subscription by visiting any of its offices across Osun state or its headquarters in the State Secretariat, Osogbo. The subscription is structured to accommodate all social classes of the people all in a bid to ensure that no one is left out. As an individual, you can enjoy the benefit of a qualitative healthcare service for a whole year at the sum of N12,066. Yes, you are not mistaken, with N12,066.00 you can enjoy an all-year-round healthcare service through the OHIS.
With N57,600.00, a family of six can get the benefit of good healthcare for a whole year on the family package. This means that the father, mother, and four biological children or legally adopted under the age of 18 years will be covered by the OHIS plan for one year that the subscription will last. Isn’t that incredible?
What the above simply pointed out is that, while maintaining your health could be costly, OHIS is offering to share in the burden just to ensure you stay healthy. As an enrollee, you will no longer have to worry about how to handle the bill for your health needs or any of your family members included as a beneficiary for basic ailment, because OHIS got you covered.
• Sarafa Ibrahim writes from Iwo, Osun state.
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