Focus Keywords: Medical Scheme Discrimination, Section 59 Inquiry, Black Healthcare Providers, Discovery, GEMS, Medscheme, Racial Bias, Healthcare Fraud A damning report has concluded that South Africa’s largest medical schemes and administrators, including Discovery, the Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS), and Medscheme, have acted unfairly. Their actions represent racial discrimination towards Black healthcare providers. The long-awaited Section 59 inquiry’s final report,…
Tag: Discovery Health
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Discovery Health Sees Membership Decline in 2024
Discovery Health Medical Scheme (DHMS) is navigating a challenging landscape. A recent annual report, released ahead of its AGM, reveals a notable decline in membership across several of its core medical plan options in 2024 compared with 2023. Nine out of the 16 core DHMS medical plan options experienced a drop in members. Seven plans saw increases. One of these…
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Younger South Africans turning to medical insurance
Medical schemes in South Africa operate on a community-rated system, offering open enrollment where members pay the same contributions regardless of their health status or age. According to the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) 2023/24 annual report, about nine million people belong to 71 registered medical schemes. However, younger South Africans are increasingly turning to medical insurance, which offers lower…
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Final report on racial profiling investigation delayed again
The long-awaited final report from the Section 59 Investigation Panel, appointed by the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) to probe allegations of racial profiling and discrimination by medical schemes and their administrators, has been delayed once again. The CMS now anticipates the report’s release by the end of the year, following ongoing challenges beyond its control. Initially launched in 2019…