Zweli Mkhize throws medical schemes a lifeline in NHI Bill

Health minister Zweli Mkhize has thrown the medical schemes industry a lifeline, with provisions in the latest iteration of the National Health Insurance Bill that enable them to continue until the ambitious scheme for universal health coverage is fully implemented.

The development will offer welcome reassurance to medical schemes, their administrators and brokers, which feared they might be legislated out of existence in one fell swoop. The transition is also likely to give comfort to consumers who currently use medical schemes to pre-fund their access to private healthcare services.

The medical schemes industry provided cover to 8.87-million people at the end of 2017, according to the Council for Medical Schemes’ most recent annual report. At that stage, this represented about 15.6% of the population. “We firmly believe that once South Africans have contributed to the NHI, they should have the freedom to purchase cover through medical schemes for any healthcare services, including those provide by the NHI, should they wish to do so,” said Discovery CEO Jonathan Broomberg.

What does this mean for taxpayers? What will happen to the value of the Rand?

A lifeline? You mean a rope to hang ourselves.

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Zweli Mkhize throws medical schemes a lifeline in NHI BillThe bill will enable them to continue until universal health coverage is implemented, after which they can cover ‘complementary’ services So why dear minister do you have a medical aid paid for by the taxpayer? Go to a public hospital and lead the way...
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Zweli Mkhize throws medical schemes a lifeline in NHI BillThe bill will enable them to continue until universal health coverage is implemented, after which they can cover ‘complementary’ services So why dear minister do you have a medical aid paid for by the taxpayer? Go to a public hospital and lead the way...
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