Paying for care
Find out what you are covered for before you need it.
The worst moment to discover a gap in your cover is at the front desk with a sick relative beside you. Call us with your plan name and enrolee number and we will check your cover against the specific treatment, in advance.
Accepted providers
HMOs we work with
These are the providers we work with directly. Cover varies by plan tier even within the same provider, so call with your plan name and enrolee number and our HMO manager will confirm exactly what is included for the treatment you need. If your provider is not listed, call us anyway. Arrangements change, and self pay rates are always available.
How HMO cover actually works
Four things that surprise people, explained before they do.
Waiting periods
Most Nigerian HMO plans apply a waiting period before certain benefits begin, and maternity almost always carries the longest one. It is measured from when your cover started, not from when you registered with us. Check it the moment you know you are pregnant rather than at 36 weeks.
Pre authorisation
Admissions, surgery, imaging and many investigations need approval from your HMO before they happen. We raise the request, but approval times vary between providers. For planned procedures, allow several working days. In an emergency we treat first and settle the paperwork afterwards.
Exclusions and caps
Plans commonly exclude or cap certain treatments, including some chronic condition management, some investigations, dental and optical work, and cosmetic procedures. Exclusions are listed in your plan document, which very few enrolees have read.
Co payment
Some plans require you to pay a portion of the cost. We will tell you the amount before treatment rather than presenting it at discharge.
Self pay
Paying directly
You do not need insurance to be treated here. Self pay patients are quoted before treatment begins, and you are entitled to an itemised bill and to question any line on it. Card, bank transfer and cash are accepted.
We quote rather than publish, because the honest figure depends on what you actually need. Call or message the front desk with what you have been told so far and you will get the number before anything is booked.
Retainership
A direct arrangement with the hospital
A retainership is an annual agreement covering a family or an organisation for defined care at SkyHigh. It sits between paying per episode and buying a full HMO plan, and it is the better option for families who want one hospital holding their whole record.
Retainership plansFor organisations
Registering a company, a church or a cooperative.
You do not need an HMO to cover a workforce. Organisations can contract with SkyHigh directly, which is usually simpler and cheaper for a group under a hundred people.
Corporate retainership
An annual agreement covering your staff for defined care at SkyHigh. You know the cost in advance, your staff have a hospital that holds their record, and you receive periodic reporting on utilisation without any individual's confidentiality being breached.
Pre employment and periodic medicals
Scheduled around your working day rather than a clinic queue, with reports issued in an agreed format. Suitable for a single hire or an intake of fifty.
Group HMO placement
If you would rather buy insurance than contract directly, we will tell you honestly which provider arrangements work well at this hospital and what to check in the plan document before you sign.
Health outreach
Screening days for churches, estates, schools and workplaces.
We run health outreach on site for organisations and communities across Lagos. A typical day covers blood pressure, blood glucose, body measurements, and a short consultation with a clinician for anyone whose readings need following up.
Outreach is where most of the serious conditions we treat are first found, because hypertension and diabetes produce no symptoms until they have already done damage. Screening a congregation or a workforce for an afternoon routinely surfaces people who had no idea they were at risk.
Tell us the size of the group, the venue and the date you have in mind, and we will come back with what we can deliver and what it would cost.
Next step
Not sure where you stand? Ask before you book.
Tell us your HMO and what you need, and we will tell you what is covered, what needs approval and what you would pay.