Still not sure how NHI will work? Here's what you need to know...

Professor Nicholas Crisp (Deputy Director-General of National Health Insurance at the Department of Health) joins Bongani Bingwa.

Click below for the full interview.

Years after it was first introduced, President Ramaphosa this week signed on the dotted line of the contentious National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill.

Health Minister Joe Phatla denies that the bill had been parachuted in light of the forthcoming elections.

He says the accusation is 'a lie', and that the bill had been subject to significant consultation.

Despite the public hearings, many South Africans remain unsure how the new laws will impact them and their access to healthcare. 

Should I stop paying my medical aid premiums?

"Absolutley not. There's no fund yet, there's no board, there's no administation or anything in place yet, so that would be a really silly thing to do."

- Professor Nicholas Crisp, National Health Insurance - Department of Health

So what happens next?

"Now we need to start putting the administration together... we've been putting together a skeleton staff to start designing the actual detail... we will go on to recruit a board and while that's happening we'll need to set up an administration."

- Professor Nicholas Crisp, National Health Insurance - Department of Health

How long will it take?

"It's a three year period that is provided for in the Act for all that to be set up."

- Professor Nicholas Crisp, National Health Insurance - Department of Health

Where's the money coming from?

"The Act provides for various sources of funding, but ultimatley everything that comes to government comes through taxes... at the moment there is already about R270 billion that is already in the public health system... the lion's share will move from their current funding streams into the control and payment through the fund."

- Professor Nicholas Crisp, National Health Insurance - Department of Health

"Then there are the funds that are spent in the private sector... once the medial aids are no longer covering benefits then there's no point in subsidising with tax rebates so that amount needs to be raised, it's about another R37 billion to R40 billion."

- Professor Nicholas Crisp, National Health Insurance - Department of Health

"The state pays to medical schemes around R70 billion as the employer contribution. Once those medical aids are no longer covering those benefits, then that money will move to the fund."

- Professor Nicholas Crisp, National Health Insurance - Department of Health

Who is covered by the NHI?

"What the Act says is that the fund must pay for all people in the country for emergencies, but only those who are legally in the country will be covered for everything."

- Professor Nicholas Crisp, National Health Insurance - Department of Health

ALSO READ: Ramaphosa signs NHI Bill into law

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