Exercise key to make health insurance affordable – industry players

Every month, insurance industry players in the country say collectively they pay between Shs10b and Shs15b in medical claims and related covers, with half if not more of that payment made towards diseases that could easily be prevented by regular physical exercise. 
According to the Insurance industry players, medical/health insurance can become more affordable if the population embrace preventative disease control measures, beginning with the routine physical exercise.  
   
“If we have more people get involved in exercising regularly by way of walking, running or any suitable form of physical activity then eventually the cost of medical covers will come down. This is because once the cost on claims reduces, the benefits is spread across, including dropping of rates, easing access to for all,” the Uganda Insurers Association (UIA) Board vice chairperson, Mr Paul Muwanga, said before flagging off the industry insurance walk last Friday at the UIA headquarters.  

The chief executive officer of UIA, Mr Jonan Kisakye, noted that whereas they are willing to pay for genuine claims of whatever amount, prevention of diseases is a far better insurance.
Mr Kisakye added that the insurance industry walk will be conducted annually. 
Representing the Insurance Brokers Association of Uganda (IBAU), Ms Josephine Kasekende, said: “As an industry we cannot work in silos, we must have a win-win situation— ensure our people live a healthy lifestyle, resulting into manageable cost of claims.”
The academic registrar of the Insurance Training College, Ms Sylvia Mwebesa Kajubi, insurance sector players have a responsibility to not only sell but also educate the public, including on pertinent issues as healthy lifestyle, given impacts on the industry.  

Proven remedy 
“Frequent physical activity is a well-established preventive and treatment remedy for some non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke and depression, as well as colon and breast cancer,” the International Health, a rapidly expanding journal that switched to fully Open Access from January 1, 2020, reads in part.
“Physical activity is also important for the prevention of NCD risk factors such as hypertension, overweight and obesity and is associated with a 20–30 percent reduction in the risk of NCD-related mortality,” the journal further reads. 
Also, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recognises the importance of physical activity in the control of NCDs and targets a 15 percent relative reduction in global prevalence of physical inactivity in adults by 2030. Despite such efforts, an estimated 27.5 percent of the world's adults do not meet recommended physical activity levels.

WHO recommends that adults aged 18–64 should undertake 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous intensity activity each week. 
Although a recent national survey in Uganda indicated that largely adult population met global physical activity recommendations, there is concern, according to the insurance industry players, gauging by the claims (money) they make towards payment of diseases that should be preventable, more needs to be done for the to continue being considered one of the most physically active countries in the world. 
Previous studies conducted in Uganda have indicated that physical activity may be influenced by factors such as gender, age, peri-urban residence, level of education, overweight and obesity.