National Health Act, 2003 (Act No. 61 of 2003)NoticesNational Health Insurance Policy towards Universal Health CoverageChapter 2 : Definition2.2 Feature of NHI |
| 30. | NHI will have the following features: |
| a) | Progressive universalism: All South Africans will have access to needed promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative health services that are of sufficient quality and are affordable, without exposing them to financial hardships. The right to access quality health services will be based on need and not socioeconomic status. NHI will seek to protect the poor and vulnerable populations to ensure that they gain as much as those who are better off at every step of implementation, in pursuit of moving towards UHC. |
| b) | Mandatory prepayment of health care: NHI will be financed through mandatory prepayment which is distinct from other modes of payment such as voluntary prepayment and out-of-pocket payments. |
| c) | Comprehensive Services: NHI will cover a comprehensive set of health services that will provide a continuum of care from community outreach, health promotion and prevention to other types and levels of care. |
| d) | Financial risk protection: NHI will ensure that individuals and households do not suffer financial hardship and/or are not deterred from accessing and utilising needed health services. It involves eliminating various forms of direct payments such as user charges, co-payments and other direct out-of-pocket payments. |
| e) | Single Fund: NHI will integrate all sources of funding into a unified health financing pool that caters for the needs of the population. |
| f) | Strategic purchaser: NHI will purchase services for all; and will be an entity that actively utilises its power as a single purchaser to proactively identify population health needs and determine the most appropriate, efficient and effective mechanisms for drawing on existing health care service providers20. |
| g) | Single-payer: NHI will be structured as an entity that pays for all health care costs on behalf of the population. A single-payer contracts for healthcare services from providers. Single-payer refers to the funding mechanism and not the type of provider. |
| h) | Publicly Administered: NHI will be established as a single fund that is publicly administered and publicly owned. It will be responsible for pooling and purchasing of health services through appropriate structures that are responsible for contracting accredited providers on behalf of the entire population. The aim is to introduce an administratively efficient and sustainable funding mechanism that achieves the best value-for-money with respect to health budget allocations. |