Access to medical insurance is likely to increase following the introduction of new products in the industry.

The new policies have low premiums and fewer exclusions from chronic illnesses like HIV as their selling points.

Medical insurance in Kenya has for years been considered a rich man's fare, but the insurers now say the innovations have made it more inclusive, turning it into one of the fastest growing sectors in the country.

The slow uptake is blamed on poor pricing due to inadequate data useful for actuaries who come up with the rates.

Peter Kamunyo, the chief executive of healthcare management company QA Care, says higher prices are also due to fraud and lack of standardization in charges and services.

But this seems to be changing because of a growing middle class and the delay by the government to come up with a better model for universal health care.

There is also increased awareness of the need for medical payment plans outside the traditional cash for services mode.

The most recent product in the market launched by AAR Health Services is Dubbed Cover me. It offers un-limited outpatient cover which includes dental and optical.

Elijah Wachira, AAR's Health Services General Manager, said the company is targeting urban dwellers in the 28 - 40 age bracket in mind.

"The plan costs as little as Sh50 a day and will adequately meet the rising demand for medical insurance," he said. The company said it is looking at doubling its revenue to Sh1 billion this year through new products.

Resolution Health, another insurer, recently introduced a cover targeting people working in small and medium scale businesses. The company says it is using strategy to enter the low-income market.

Only about 500,000 Kenyans are on private health schemes, according to data from the health management industry.