Health workers
The Federal Government is considering a major expansion of free healthcare coverage to about 152,000 retirees under the retiree life annuity (RLA) scheme as the regulator moves to strengthen social protection for pensioners under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).
The initiative, being driven by the National Pension Commission (PenCom), is expected to widen access to healthcare for thousands of retirees currently excluded from the PenCom programme, a healthcare intervention designed for low-income pensioners.
The planned expansion comes as the pension industry begins implementation of free health insurance coverage for 30,000 retirees under the programme withdrawal (PW) arrangement, with broader plans underway to eventually cover all retirees captured under the CPS.
Speaking at the retirement summit in Lagos, at the weekend, Director-General of PenCom, Omolola Oloworaran, who was represented by the commission’s Head of Corporate Communications, Ibrahim Buwai, said discussions would commence with the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) and insurance operators to extend the PenCom programme to annuitants.
According to the commission, the current PenCom arrangement is funded by pension fund operators and the commission itself, enabling vulnerable retirees under the PW structure to access free healthcare services through accredited health maintenance organisations (HMOs) and hospitals nationwide.