According to Patrick Masobe, chief executive officer of Agility Health, healthcare specialists are able to invoice patients and medical schemes in an unregulated fee-for-service environment – in which every service performed has a code and a price tag – with secondary healthcare expenditure eating away at the medical scheme benefits of South Africans. “Among the..
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Private healthcare environment compromised by unregulated fees
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Council pursues bogus health practitioners
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A rise in bogus health practitioners has forced the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) and medical schemes to strengthen their forensics units to curb fraud. A team at the HPCSA is conducting about 400 investigations into bogus practitioners. To date, just more than 40 arrests have been made, but prosecutions are slow. Data from..
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‘Bogus’ online doctor to be probed
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The Government Employee Medical Scheme has launched an investigation into claims it allowed staff at public relations firm Martina Nicholson Associates to give medical advice on its online column titled Dr Joe. Dr Joe was an online service for members of the GEMS medical aid scheme who wanted to discuss health concerns with a doctor…
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Medical tax credits to go?
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There has been talk for some time now about the National Health Insurance (NHI) and how it will be funded. In his Budget Speech in February 2017, former finance minister, Pravin Gordhan, alluded to an adjustment to medical tax credits to partly fund the system. “The rationale behind replacing the tax deduction system with the..
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Medical aid waiting periods and late-joiner penalties: What. How. Why?
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The world of medical schemes in South Africa is a very different one to 25 years ago. There are strict rules and regulations governing the industry, there to protect both the members and the financial sustainability of the scheme. Now is the time of year when medical schemes announce their annual increases and benefit changes…
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What’s driving up our healthcare costs?
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Discovery Health CEO explains why South Africans are paying higher medical aid premiums than ever before. Access to quality healthcare at an affordable price is a critical priority for every family, and in society at large. South Africans lucky enough to afford private healthcare have rapid and convenient access to some of the best quality..
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Medical aid waiting periods and late-joiner penalties: What. How. Why?
Posted on Leave a comment
The world of medical schemes in South Africa is a very different one to 25 years ago. There are strict rules and regulations governing the industry, there to protect both the members and the financial sustainability of the scheme. Now is the time of year when medical schemes announce their annual increases and benefit changes…
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Obesity costs SA economy more than R700bn per year
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Johannesburg – The economic impact of obesity in South Africa is more than R700bn per year, a study revealed. According to the Discovery Vitality OBEcity index for 2017, which presents insights on weight status and food purchasing behavior of Vitality members across six South African cities, the impact of obesity is not only limited to..
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SA health sector faces a crisis
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South Africa compares unfavourably with middle-income countries on the ratios of medical and dental professionals, and many districts have limited access to specialists and subspecialists. Even South Africa’s private sector has fewer doctors per 100 000 people than most countries in the world. A comprehensive report produced by Econex after a request from the Hospital..
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The biggest medical aid schemes in South Africa – and how much they’re charging in 2018
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The majority of South Africa’s biggest medical aid schemes have released their prices for 2018, showing below 10% increases across all plans. According to the latest statistics released by the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS), there are currently 82 medical aid schemes operating in South Africa with a total subscription of just under 8.9 million..
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