Since President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the controversial National Health Insurance (NHI) Act into law in May 2024, a legal storm has erupted. At least eight different groups have filed court applications to challenge the Act, with many arguing it is unconstitutional. A core argument uniting these legal challenges is that the NHI, rather than expanding healthcare, will lead to fewer…
Tag: NHI
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Medical Aid Contribution Increases Squeeze Household Budgets
South African households are bracing for another year of financial pressure as major medical schemes begin announcing their contribution increases and benefit changes for 2026. In a familiar and unwelcome trend, the announced premium hikes are set to outpace the country’s general inflation rate significantly. This will deepen the long-standing healthcare affordability crisis. While the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS)…
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New NHI Taxes Timeline Suggests Delay Until 2033
The government may not need to introduce new taxes to finance the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme for another decade. This is according to a presentation by the Department of Health to Parliament. The department’s deputy director-general for NHI, Nicholas Crisp, sketched a 15-year phased funding model. This suggests that new tax levies would only commence around 2033/34. New NHI…
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Sakeliga Mounts Legal Challenge Over Health Minister’s Actions
Business lobby group Sakeliga has sharply escalated the legal fight against the National Health Insurance (NHI) Act. They launched a new, two-pronged legal attack against Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi. This move directly counters the Minister’s recent attempt to pause the multiple constitutional challenges facing the controversial new law. The controversial NHI Act, which President Cyril Ramaphosa signed into law…
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Medical Tax Credits: A Change in Healthcare Policy
The financial reality of implementing South Africa’s National Health Insurance (NHI) is drawing nearer. The Department of Health confirms it is actively pursuing plans to phase out medical tax credits. This will help fund the ambitious scheme. The initial focus will be on high-income earners, marking the first concrete financial step towards overhauling the nation’s healthcare system. The department is…
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Minister Defends Healthcare Amid Neurologist Shortage
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has vehemently rejected accusations that the public healthcare system has collapsed. He defended the healthcare sector amidst criticism, despite confronting staggering statistics on the dire shortage of specialists in the country. The Minister’s defence of healthcare comes in the wake of revelations that the entire province of Limpopo has only one neurologist. This has led to…
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Medical Aid Tax Credits Impact on Private Healthcare
The Department of Health is actively collaborating with the National Treasury to establish thresholds for medical aid tax credits. This signals the first concrete steps towards phasing them out to fund the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme. While officials insist the initial changes will only affect high-income earners, the move has ignited fierce criticism. It has raised concerns about transparency…
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Healthcare Facilities Cheat Compliance Checks
The nation’s health standards watchdog has sounded the alarm over an increasingly common and deceptive practice. Healthcare establishments “borrow” medical equipment and essential documents from other facilities to pass inspections fraudulently. This “window dressing,” as facilities cheat compliance checks, is being driven by a rush to obtain certificates of compliance ahead of the nationwide rollout of the National Health Insurance…
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Stark Warning Against NHI: Lessons from Gauteng
Gauteng’s Department of Health is in crisis. It runs South Africa’s largest provincial health system. Its condition provides a stark warning against NHI. It highlights the significant dangers posed by the new Act. The department is plagued by mismanagement. It suffers from deep corruption and no accountability. This raises grave concerns about the state. Is it ready to manage a…
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‘Certificate of Need’ Faces Constitutional Court Battle
The future of where doctors can practise and where hospitals can be built in South Africa hangs in the balance. The Constitutional Court is considering the validity of the controversial “Certificate of Need” (CoN) provisions within the National Health Act. The top court heard arguments on Tuesday regarding a law that could force medical professionals to work in underserved rural…
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Good NHI Governance is Crucial to Restoring Trust
If the government is serious about rebuilding public trust in the health sector, it must begin with a critical overhaul of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Act’s governance framework. Good NHI governance is imperative for healthcare reform. This call for accountability echoes the loudest demand from the nation’s first national convention in August: a demand for better governance. The convention,…
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Western Cape’s NHI Challenge going to the Constitutional Court
The Western Cape government has launched a direct Constitutional Court challenge against the National Health Insurance (NHI) Act. The government argues Parliament failed its duty to ensure adequate public participation. Discover the details of this major legal battle. The Western Cape government has formally lodged a direct application with the Constitutional Court. They seek to have the controversial National Health…