Business Quest 
CIC General Insurance Managing Director, Fred Ruoro (left) together with CIC General Manager Medical, McDonald Kang’e (PhD), during previous launch of the CIC Seniors Medi-plan cover. The cover will be targeting senior citizens from the age of 60 years.(Photo/FILE}
Inside the CIC Seniors Mediplan breaking barriers in insurance for the elderly in Kenya;
In our special report in this issue, Business Quest exclusively examines the CIC Seniors Mediplan, a medical insurance product by CIC General Insurance that is a breaker -of-barriers and departure from the norm. The CIC Seniors Mediplan is promising to offer millions of citizens in Kenya something to smile about and in this article, we attempt to show you how.
By;Business Quest Editor;
Health insurance for the elderly is business that many insurance sector players in Kenya avoid. Insuring senior citizens is considered high-risk, and a no-go zone. We sought to understand the dynamics and existent needs of this underserved age-group of the health insurance market, speaking exclusively to Mr. Fred Ruoro, the Managing Director of CIC General Insurance Limited.
In what is emerging as a clear departure from conservative insurance market fears, CIC Insurance is taking a chance on the elderly, with its recent launch of the CIC Seniors Mediplan. The health insurance policy has excited the market and is likely to attract the bulk of Kenya’s rapidly aging population. CIC has been rolling out the policy intensely since its announcement recently.
The insurance provider insists CIC Seniors Mediplan is literally, what the doctor ordered for an older person with a joining age bracket between 60 and 80 years. “In essence medical insurance takes care of your medical bills. This product has inpatient services as the core benefit, as well as outpatient services covering a wide range of illnesses, including dental and optical services. Inpatient services are core, while the rest are optional,” says Mr. Ruoro.
For many families in Kenya, medical expense is a reminder of pain and anguish. For some, it is synonymous with addition to unsolicited WhatsApp Groups, and last minute attempts to salvage the precious life of loved ones.
“A lot of Kenyans do not struggle with outpatient medical bills. They however struggle with inpatient bills, hence the constant need for fundraisers (harambees) held every so often to offset inpatient bills,” says the MD. The new CIC Seniors Mediplan offers the flexibility to include outpatient services after buying the core – inpatient cover.
The MD says CIC General Insurance, cognizant that some spouses may not fall into the 60-70 age gap, developed an alternative health insurance product dubbed CIC Family Medisure. For the Seniors Mediplan one can purchase the preferred medical benefit option, which ranges from KSh5 million, KSh3 million, KSh2 million, KSh1 million, KSh500,000 to KSh300,000.
“The benefit takes care of your hospital bed, pre-existing and chronic conditions, psychiatric and elderly ailments like dementia, medication, organ transplant, gynecological surgery, home nursing in case you need someone to provide medical care support at home with you instead of the hospital, and overseas treatment. According to the Managing Director, the CIC Seniors Mediplan also caters for funeral expenses in the unfortunate event of death while undergoing treatment.
To demonstrate that the plan is a medical insurance product built for realistic needs of the current insurance market, the CIC Seniors Mediplan additionally covers Covid-19 infections, a pandemic that continues to affect the elderly, even as vaccination efforts intensify in Kenya.
The Scheme also caters for terrorism. “Terrorism is a relatively new dimension in insurance. A criminal can choose to commit suicide affecting other people’s lives at the same time. This product takes care of situations where one may incur medical expenses resulting from a terrorist act,” says Mr. Ruoro.Road ambulance services and air evacuation within the East Africa region are also included this plan, as well as dental surgery, cataract removal.
Under the medical product, outpatient services cater for medical check-up, medication as well as laboratory tests. Pre-existing conditions have a one-year waiting period.
“The main advantage of this cover is how enriched it is, catering for conditions that mostly advance with age, in particular pre-existing and chronic conditions, even new emerging conditions like Covid-19. The fact that people aged over 60 years have not had specific health insurance solutions in the market tailored to their needs allows us to accommodate Kenyans in this age bracket,” MD Fred Ruoro told Business Quest.
According to National Census conducted in 2019, the number of older persons in the country had reached about 2.7 million, representing about 6% percent of the total population. This number represents a population that needs medical insurance.
The company maintains that while 80 years is the maximum joining age, anyone already insured under Seniors Mediplan is eligible to continue. “It doesn’t matter whether you turn 90 or 100 thereafter, you remain covered,” says Mr. Ruoro.
Air evacuation within the East Africa region are also included in this plan, as well as dental surgery, cataract removal.
“The main advantage of this cover is how enriched it is, catering for conditions that mostly advance with age, in particular pre-existing and chronic conditions, even new emerging conditions like Covid-19. The fact that people aged over 60 years have not had specific health insurance solutions in the market tailored to their needs allows us to accommodate Kenyans in this age bracket,” MD Fred Ruoro told Business Quest.
According to National Census conducted in 2019, the number of older persons in the country had reached about 2.7 million, representing about 6% percent of the total population. This number represents a population that needs medical insurance.
The company maintains that while 80 years is the maximum joining age, anyone already insured under Seniors Mediplan is eligible to continue. “It doesn’t matter whether you turn 90 or 100 thereafter, you remain covered,” says Mr. Ruoro.
The firm has currently trained their distribution channels about the product. “The interest we have witnessed in this medical product is incredible. Clearly, Kenyans were looking for a solution like this. I did not expect this level of interest,” says Mr. Ruoro, stating that many Kenyans trust CIC based on the over 50-year experience serving the Kenyan market.
“We have a track-record of being a credible, Kenyan-owned brand. We have spent time to come up with the product and make sure that we get the basics right,” he told Business Quest Magazine.
To register for the product, one fills in a proposal form and undergoes a medical examination before proceeding to deposit their premium. The cover is now readily accessible through leading insurance agents, brokers, banks, and can also be purchased directly from CIC Group. The MD also revealed that the insurer has rolled out a USSD code 22471 for interested customers to seek information about the product.
