The Nigeria Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has commended foremost health management organisation, Avon Healthcare Limited, for blazing the trail in rolling out a new range of critical care top-up plans.
Avon HMO’s new bold efforts which was launched at their corporate headquarters recently, will now ensure that people have access to medical cover for critical illnesses and life-threatening health emergencies, hitherto mostly uncovered by existing HMO plans.
Lauding the organisation, Femi Akingbade, general manager, NHIA, Lagos Region, underscored the need for all HMOs in the country to help deepen medical cover in the country.
He disclosed, “Everybody in the country should have a basic minimum plan. Private HMOs are now supposed to sell a top-up to that plan. Avon is being proactive and that is what we want. We want the private HMOs to be in the business of top-ups. What is missing in the basic minimum package is what the HMOs should concentrate on selling. I congratulate Avon Healthcare for taking a bold step as the first company to go beyond the basic minimum package, which is defined in the National Health Act”.
Giving more insights, Adesimbo Ukiri, CEO of Avon HMO and sector head of Heirs Holdings, said that the new critical care top-up health plans – Avon A.C.E. Global, Avon Revive, Avon Secure and Avon Secure Lite – are designed to provide people with extra protection from severe or terminal illnesses at affordable premium.
She explained, “These health plans have been designed to cater for a wide range of people at various income levels by providing them with increased coverage for hospitalisation, treatment and required rehabilitation in the event of critical, acute, and life-threatening health conditions and emergencies.
“For many Nigerians, having a plan from this range can be the difference between life and death, especially as they would not have to resort to crowdfunding on social media to pay hefty medical bills”.
The critical care top-up plans also provide support services like care coordination across reputable hospitals nationwide, case management by experienced medical professionals, and post-treatment rehabilitation.
Speaking further, Ukiri, mentioned that the critical care top-up plans are incredibly versatile because they offer Nigerians a wide range of options and advantages, even if they are already subscribed to the state, federal or private health insurance plans.
“For people on health plans with coverage limits that barely cover serious illnesses and acute conditions, our critical care top-up plans are a valuable addition. They are also perfect for people who claim to never fall ill but still want the peace of mind that comes with having a health plan that adequately covers sudden and critical health emergencies.”
With these new health plans, Avon HMO further cements its position as an industry leader and a company of many firsts. It was the first HMO in Nigeria to provide health plans for the retail market segment; catering for individuals, couples, and families that did not belong to any corporate organisation. Avon HMO was also the first to launch online health plan subscriptions, offering Nigerians the opportunity to subscribe and pay for health plans on their phones and other mobile devices.
Also speaking at the occasion, Tony Elumelu, group chairman, Heirs Holdings Limited, stressed that health is critical to the prosperity of a nation. “Avon HMO has gone beyond health management services, they have been pushing enlightenment, education and insure us. I commend the team and recommend the top-up products that they have just unveiled to everyone irrespective of the HMO that they use”.
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