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Medical Aids
Court slaps CMS with deadline to explain low-cost schemes hold-up
The Council for Medical Schemes, which has been accused of blocking the introduction of low-cost medical aids in an effort to make the NHI...
CMS inquiry told medical schemes 'a law unto themselves'
Health Department deputy director-general Dr Anban Pillay told the Council for Medical Aid Schemes inquiry into allegations of racial profiling that there were “serious...
High levels of premium inflation 'unavoidable', says Discovery CEO
High premium inflation is unavoidable given ageing membership, a rise in chronic diseases, new medical technology and a government-imposed anti-selection policy, says Dr Jonathan Broomberg,...
SA's medical schemes forced to dip into savings for third year
The Alexander Forbes Health annual Diagnosis report hows that most South African medical aid schemes are, for the third year, paying out more in...
Rising healthcare costs: The problem is not doctors and hospitals
The most important cause of high SA healthcare costs is, the rapidly increasing use of services by medical scheme members, not the prices charged...
GEMS investigates claims that Dr Joe was Dr Google
The Government Employee Medical Scheme (GEMS) has denied reports that it authorised communication staff working at public relations firm Martina Nicholson Associates to give...
CMS powerless to prevent massive pay rises for med fund principal officers
Trustees of the South African Police Service Medical Scheme (Polmed) and LMS Medical Fund approved massive pay rises for their principal officers in 2016,...
GEMS calls time out on Dr Google's house calls
The “House call with Dr Joe” column on the Government Employee Medical Scheme (GEMS) website has been taken down just days after story was...
Dr Google runs GEMS online advice, claim staff
The Government Employee Medical Scheme (GEMS) and a private public relations firm, Martina Nicholson Associations, have been accused of using lay people to give...
Ripple effect of jobs pressure on medical schemes
The poor performance of medical schemes has put pressure on payments made to providers such as Life Healthcare. Business Day reports that the group’s...
Conmed liquidated and members moved to Bonitas
Community Medical Scheme (Commed) is to be liquidated, and its 11,000 members moved over to Bonitas Medical Scheme, Business Day reports the Council for...
Cosatu and Motsoaledi on collision course over NHI
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi and his department are on a collision course with Cosatu over the National Health Insurance (NHI), ahead of the governing...
Bonitas claims 'price war' victory in dispute with hospital group
Bonitas, South Africa’s third largest medical scheme, is claiming victory in what it believes is the beginning of a competition and price war with...
Discovery wants Competition Commission to dismiss complaint
Discovery Health Medical Scheme has asked the Competition Commission to dismiss Afrocentric Health’s complaint that it is undercutting competitors, contending it lacked merit.
The dispute between Discovery and Afrocentric currently...
Psychologists hit as med scheme payments dry up
Non-clinical SA psychologists are closing shop in their droves because of a standoff with medical aids that refuse to pay for their services, reports...