The debate over political perks has shifted to medical aid. ActionSA MP Kgosi Letlape is lobbying to end compulsory membership of the Parmed medical scheme for MPs and other office-bearers. He argues that elected officials should be able to choose their own scheme. They should also be allowed to opt out entirely. Parmed is a restricted medical scheme. It is…
Tag: Medical Schemes
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GEMS Contribution Increases Spark Talks With Unions
GEMS is currently the largest restricted medical scheme in South Africa. It serves nearly 2.45 million beneficiaries. Membership is strictly limited to public servants and their dependants. To encourage membership, government departments provide subsidies of up to two-thirds of the monthly cost. However, this benefit is only available to those who remain with GEMS. The current conflict stems from GEMS’…
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NHI Preparations Continue Despite Legal Pause
\n\nThe NHI remains one of the most debated policy projects in South Africa. It currently faces more than twelve separate legal challenges. Recent court developments have focused on the legality of the process rather than the NHI model itself.\n\n\n\nNHI Preparations are Ongoing Despite Agreement on Act\n\n\n\nLast week, Minister Motsoaledi and President Cyril Ramaphosa reached an agreement regarding the Act. They…
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AfroCentric Results Show Revenue Surged Significantly
AfroCentric Investment Corporation has released its financial results for the year ending December. The JSE-listed healthcare giant reported a massive spike in revenue. However, the group also faced a significant basic loss. This was primarily due to heavy asset impairments and strategic business disposals. Massive Revenue Growth For AfroCentric The group’s continuing operations showed exceptional top-line growth. Total revenue climbed…
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Medical Tax Credits Increased Amidst NHI Proposals
In a significant policy shift that has caught the attention of the healthcare sector, the National Treasury has officially resisted Department of Health efforts to scrap Medical Tax Credits. For the first time since 2023, these credits will increase in line with inflation. This move directly contradicts previous proposals to phase out the tax relief to fund the National Health…
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Medical Tax Credits: Schemes Urge Godongwana for Budget Boost
South Africa’s two biggest industry bodies for medical schemes are urging Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to keep medical tax credits in place and increase their value in the upcoming Budget. They argue the credits are critical to keep private cover affordable for working families, especially as costs rise. The call comes as the health department pushes to phase out medical…
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NHI Implementation on Hold After Presidential Undertaking
President Cyril Ramaphosa has formally undertaken not to bring any part of South Africa’s National Health Insurance (NHI) Act into operation until the Constitutional Court has ruled on two challenges focused on public participation. The undertaking was conveyed in a letter dated 20 February from the Office of the State Attorney. It states the president “undertakes not to promulgate any…
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Medical Aid Tax Credits and Public Health Jobs
South Africa’s public health crisis is no longer only about disease burden. It is also about staffing, budgets and political choices. Furthermore, a new argument gaining traction is that austerity is shrinking frontline services. At the same time, the tax system still cushions households that can afford private cover, especially through benefits like Medical Aid Tax Credits. The government has…
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NHI Constitutional Challenge: AfriForum’s Legal Action
Civil society group AfriForum has served a summons on President Cyril Ramaphosa and Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi. This intensifies its court bid to have the National Health Insurance (NHI) Act declared unconstitutional. The organisation instructed the Sheriff of the Court to deliver a combined summons to five senior state office-bearers. This signals that the fight over NHI is moving…
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GEMS Contribution Increase Sparks Union Backlash
Trade unions in the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) have rejected the Government Employees Medical Scheme’s (GEMS) decision to raise member contributions in 2026. The scheme implemented a 9.8% increase from January 2026. It will then apply a revised 9.5% increase from 1 April 2026. Unions say the hikes are economically unjustifiable and socially regressive. They argue the increases…
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Value-Based Healthcare: A New Approach to Care
South Africa’s medical aid market is under fresh scrutiny for a pattern that clinicians and members know too well. This has prompted renewed discussion about value-based healthcare and its potential to improve patient outcomes and system sustainability. Schemes routinely fund high-cost, late-stage interventions. Yet they often resist paying for prevention and side-effect management that could avoid hospital admissions later. This…
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Sizwe Hosmed Curator Replacement Ordered By High Court
The medical schemes regulator has won its bid to replace Sizwe Hosmed’s curator. This successful Sizwe Hosmed curator replacement, according to the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS), will not disrupt the scheme. It also stressed that Sizwe Hosmed remains fully operational. A High Court order handed down on Wednesday in Pretoria confirmed Ian Fleming as curator with immediate effect. He…