Medical Aids – Are we in for greater pricing regulation?
7 September 2015 The Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) annual report released last week provides for much reflection on the state of cover for medical expenses in South Africa. That which is most interesting is the unspoken, but intimated suggestion that the country may be moving to an environment of greater regulation of medical care pricing. CMS chairman Prof. Yusuf Veriava writes in his report of the introduction of prescribed medical benefits (PMBs) in 2004 and how the intention to provide access to basic and adequate healthcare had been overthrown by the 2010 High Court judgment that set aside the National Health Reference Price List (NHRPL) regulations. “Controversial as they are, PMBs remain the perfect mechanism to link the future National Health Insurance (NHI) system with the private healthcare financing industry,” he wrote. Jill Larkan, Head of Healthcare Consulting at... Read More
