Medical Schemes Amendment Bill and the National Health Insurance Bill

The Health Minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, released the Medical Schemes Amendment Bill and the National Health Insurance Bill for public comment on 21 June 2018.

Download the NHI Bill here.

Download the Medical Schemes Amendment Bill here.

Download the Minister’s speech at the press conference on the release of NHI Bill and the Medical Schemes Bill here.

Highlights from the minister’s release on the Medical Schemes Amendment Bill include but are not limited to:

  1. The first amendment deals with the abolishment of co-payments. 
  2. The second amendment deals with the abolishment of brokers within the medical schemes environment.
  3. The third amendment deals with the abolishment of PMBs, they will be replaced by Comprehensive Service Benefits.
  4. The fourth amendment deals with the Benefit options and prevents any medical scheme from implementing any benefit option unless approved by the Registrar of the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS)
  5. The fifth amendment, declares the carrying on of the business of a medical scheme by a person not registered as medical scheme to be a specific offence. 
  6. The sixth amendment deals with the creation of a central beneficiary and provider registry and the management thereof by the Registrar of the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS)
  7. The seventh amendment deals with the introduction of Income cross-subsidisation.
  8. In the eighth amendment it was highlighted that medical aid schemes are to be compelled to pass back savings if a member uses a designated service provider according to the rules of the schemes. 
  9. The ninth amendment deals with the cancellation of membership and waiting between joining a scheme and accessing benefits. 
  10. The 10th amendment which deals with the governance of medical schemes – there will be a minimum educational requirement and expertise for one to serve as a Board of Trustees or a CEO of a medical aid scheme.