Bismart introduces Afyasmart, A Crowdfunding (mchango) Health Plan for Family and Friends

Every year 1.5 million Kenyans are pushed into poverty due to medical bills. To arrest this unfortunate trend, Bismart has introduced Afyasmart, a health plan for Kenyans, tailor-made to suit and cater to their social norms at a friendly price.

“Afyasmart is a product that speaks to our way of life, created for us, with us, and by us,” says CEO Bismart Eunice Maina.

Whereas Most Insurance companies don’t provide covers outside the setting of your nuclear family ties, Bismart has taken an initiative to understand the communal social attributes of Kenyans and adopted them into the business model.

Many Kenyans today tend to create WhatsApp groups to raise hospital bills, which can be burdensome for those in need as well as those who are expected to give. Hence, to avoid such a confrontation in the future, Bismart introduced Afya Smart in December 2020 to help friends, neighbors, and communities at large to take cover for as low as Ksh.40,000 for a group of 4 friends or relatives

Afyasmart is a health plan that enables you to share the cover with not only your nuclear family but also extended family and friends. To share Afyasmart benefits, you need to be a group of a minimum of four and a maximum of eleven friends or relatives to come together and ‘change (crowdfunding) and share benefits that will cover whoever will be sick during the policy period.

Under the policy, a group of four can pay Ksh.40,000 a year which will be Ksh.10,000 each, the four people will have access to Ksh.750,000 In-patient, Ksh.100,000 out-patient, and a maximum of Ksh. 50,000 for maternity, 50,000 for evacuation (Ambulance services), 15,000 dental and 25,000 optical benefits.

Anyone who can buy the cover is eligible for the service for his/her family or friends. The cover is also available to SMEs and corporate companies seeking to cut costs of health insurance. For example, if you are an entrepreneur and you have 3 staff, you can take a single cover for 4 of you at only ksh 40,000 per year.

The parties should also be between the age of 18-65. There is no waiting period for outpatient once you get the plan. However, surgical cases will require 30 days, 6 months for maternity and its related conditions, 3 months for pre-existing conditions, gynae surgeries, implants, cancer, and dialysis.

Afya smart can be accessed through 480 hospitals all over the country. The premium also covers referral hospital fees.

To take the plan, you require to have an I.D, a photo, and your phone and go to afyasmart.bismart.co.ke or call 0706 126 668. Bismart then provides you with Afyasmart digital smart cards via your email or WhatsApp for you and your friends. Each member of the group will receive a unique digital card, with their photo and a unique number.