Medical Aid

 

National Health Insurance will cost more than R350 billion:- Solidarity

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“VAT will effectively have to be doubled,” says Solidarity. The Solidarity Research Institute has released a report detailing the enormous amount of funding necessary to effectively implement the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme.

The numbers far exceed those previously calculated by the Health Minister, Aaron Motsoaledi. What’s more worrying is the heavy impact this will have on South African taxpayers.

According to Solidarity researcher, Morné Malan, funding required by the NHI is closer to R357 billion with a deficit of approximately R210 billion.

NHI: How does it affect the taxpayer?
Malan outlined the exorbitant fees which would need to be carried by the South African taxpayer. According to his research, value-added tax (VAT) would effectively double in order to carry the weight of NHI.

Commenting on the burden taxpayers will be forced to carry, Malan said:

“It is very difficult to determine from where the additional mon
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South Africa does little to address depression and other mental illnesses:- World Mental Health Day

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As a country, not much has been achieved in building a society that embraces mental illness. For those who are distressed, help is available. Contact SADAG on: 011 234 4837.

Wednesday, 10 October marks World Mental Health Day. However, the topic of our mental health should be at the forefront more often than it is.

In South Africa, the statistics on deaths caused by mental illness are disturbing – to say the least. The country only keeps estimates on suicide rates, but globally, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), it is one of the leading causes of death.

South Africa not quick enough to raise awareness
There aren’t enough facilities and resources in South Africa that are catered towards people suffering from depression and anxiety. These topics are often brushed aside or never embraced in homes that raise young adults who experience this the most.

IOL News reported that:

New York, this week became th
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Need to know information:- What to look out for when choosing a medical scheme

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Are your health insurance costs too high? Try decoding your medical aid terms and conditions and associated costs to make sure that it works for you.

“While health insurance is important, it comes at a cost that is rapidly rising. Unfortunately for the consumer, this affects medical scheme membership contribution rates, and the increases of which are sometimes significantly higher than general inflation.

As schemes try to contain their costs in the face of increasing claims, they make changes to their plans and benefits, which can come as a surprise to the consumer,” says Mark Payne, CEO of the Independent Community Pharmacy Association (ICPA).

Annual review of your plan

He recommends that an annual review of your plan is absolutely vital, and will affirm that it is serving your needs rather than the other way around.

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New fears about medical aid law changes may cause ‘doctor drain’

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A key issue of the proposed Medical Schemes Amendment Bill is the impact on doctors, resulting from a proposed uniform tariff for healthcare services.

Concerns have been raised about the proposed Medical Schemes Amendment Bill, one of many health-related bills which have been going through various motions in Parliament.

Recently, the cabinet approved the Bill to regulate medical schemes, and it will now be published and made available for public comment.

Among the concerns raised is the impact of a proposed uniform tariff for healthcare services, leading to a possible exodus of doctors and other healthcare professionals to countries where they can get “full value” for their services by charging tariffs they see as reasonable.

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Bonitas:- Price hike and big changes for medical aid plans in 2019

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Medical aid scheme Bonitas is to increase prices across its various plans by a weighted average of 8.9% in 2019 – while also launching two new lower-cost plans.

The group said that the weighted average is on par with the industry corridor of 3% to 4% above CPI, and comes amid a tough economic climate, which included a hike in VAT to 15% in April 2018.

“The past 12 months have been extremely trying, with a number of uncertainties and changes anticipated,” said Bonitas principal officer, Gerhard Van Emmenis.

Looking for a affordable Medical Aid or Hospital Plan, just click here Medical Aid or just send your Name, surname, age, area in which you live and email address to 082 738 5586

“In addition, consumers have been heavily impacted by the increase in VAT and escalating prices which resulted from this.”

In July Bonitas reporte
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The biggest medical aid schemes in South Africa – and how much they’re charging in 2018

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The majority of South Africa’s biggest medical aid schemes have released their prices for 2018, showing below 10% increases across all plans.

According to the latest statistics released by the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS), there are currently 82 medical aid schemes operating in South Africa with a total subscription of just under 8.9 million members as at December 2016.

Discovery remains the largest medical aid scheme in the country, with over 2.7 million members.

This is followed by the Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) with 1.8 million members, and the Bonitas Medical Fund, with just under 680,000 members.

Due to the nature of medical aids, and how each scheme is structured to cater for different hospital networks and cover different medical needs, it’s incredibly difficult to compare like for like, especially on price.

However, with all medical aids now releasing their contribution structures for 2018, the tables below outline the pr
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Mediese selfbetalings styg met skokkende 13,4%

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Die brood het gekrimp, maar ons betaal nou meer daarvoor.

Só het ’n ekonoom die verhoging van meer as 13% in selfbetalings deur mediesefondslede die afgelope jaar beskryf.

Verbruikers wat elke jaar swaar trek aan die premies vir hul mediese fondse het boonop nog verlede jaar R29,7 miljard uit hul eie sak opgedok.

Dit is 13,4%, of ’n hele R2,5 miljard, meer as die vorige jaar, toon die jongste jaarverslag van die Raad op Mediese Skemas (RMS).

Boonop word dié syfer onderskat omdat dit net bereken word op die rekeninge wat lede indien waarvoor hulle self betaal het.

Die selfbetalings is die bedrae waarvoor geëis is wat fondse nie betaal nie.

“Dit kan ’n onderskatting wees van die werklike bedrag wat self betaal word omdat lede nie altyd hul eise aan hul fondse stuur wanneer hul voordele opgedroog het nie,” het die RMS in die verslag gesê.

Johann van Tonder, ’n ekonoom en navorser vir Momentum, het gesê mediese inflasie meet nie die styging in bybetali
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How your medical bills may change under the National Health Insurance

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Many private hospitals will be opening their doors to more patients but does that mean you’ll be stuck at the back of the queue?

The United Kingdom’s universal healthcare system, known as the National Health Service (NHS), had a problem: By the early 2000s, a growing number of elderly patients were waiting up to three years for sight-saving cataract services in the early 2000s.

But the government-funded healthcare scheme didn’t have enough beds. It did, however, have plenty of parking.

“All we needed was a parking lot and a connection to three-phase electricity,” remembers South Africa’s Netcare CEO Richard Friedland.

Netcare entered the UK market fifteen years ago. It operates more than 50 private hospitals in the country, but 43% of its patients come from the NHS through the service’s electronic “choose and book” appointment system: Patients elect where to go for care, and the NHS pays private providers like Netcare a nationally-set rate
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Kundiges in gesondheidsbedryf krap kop oor toename in hospitalisasie

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Kundiges in die gesondheidsbedryf het op die jaarlikse konferensie van die Hospitaalvereniging van Suid-Afrika (Hasa) in Kaapstad hewig van mekaar verskil oor wat die redes vir ‘n skerp toename in die koste van mediese skemas is.

Matthew Prior, hoof van gesondheidsbeleid van Life Healtcare, sê ’n toename in benutting van gesondheidsdienste word die afgelope jare as die hoofoorsaak beskou vir hoë mediese inflasie. Hy sê die premieverhogings wat mediese skemas van hul lede eis, is die werklike maatstaf van mediese inflasie vir verbruikers.

Prior het die debat gelei oor die redes vir die toename in die benutting.

Navorsing deur Medscheme, die administrateur van mediese skemas, toon daar is ’n verband tussen ’n toename in hospitaalbeddens en die skerp styging in hospitalisasie wat verlede jaar ervaar is, sê dr. Jenni Noble, hoofbestuurder van Medscheme.

Die mededingingsowerhede se paneel wat die markondersoek na die gesondheidsbedryf doen, het in 2016
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MEDICAL AID PREMIUMS SET TO INCREASE IN 2019

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Medical aid schemes have announced that the premiums paid by members are set to increase in 2019.

Talk Radio 702’s Xolani Gwala spoke to Paresh Prema, general manager of the benefits unit at Council for Medical Schemes, about what medical schemes consider reasons for increasing the premiums.

Prema says the responsibility of the council is to look at the suggestions put forward by the medical schemes and approve them before they can be implemented.

“So what you have seen, it is actually the submissions that they have made to us for the increases for next year.

“We look at the different elements that make up a contribution. The most important element is the claims and services that are paid for by medical schemes and how much it will be going up by in the next year.”

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Free Medical-Aid, Hospital and Funeral Plan and Insurance Quotes at www.MedSure.co.za
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CANCER:- Micorocoil localisation in treating early-stage lung cancer

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A breakthrough minimally invasive surgery technique, microcoil localisation, allows doctors to pinpoint and remove tiny nodules in early-stage lung cancer without damaging additional healthy tissue.

“Rather than cutting out an entire lobe, or potentially even an entire lung, we can just take out a small bit of tissue,” said Dr Jason Lempel, a thoracic radiologist at Cleveland Clinic in the United States. “We’re able to treat patients with early-stage lung cancers quickly and thus decrease the chance of the cancer spreading.”

Looking for a affordable Medical Aid or Hospital Plan, just click here Medical Aid or just send your Name, surname, age and email address to 082 738 5586

Cleveland Clinic is one of a handful of medical centre to offer the surgery. A review of the team’s first 20 cases has revealed a 100% success rate in retr
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How to save on your medical aid

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JOHANNESBURG – Medical aid schemes. The essential but expensive line item in a monthly budget for the less than 20 percent of South Africans who can afford medical aid cover.

John October, Chief Executive of online insurance and financial comparison website, Hippo.co.za, says in many cases people are forced into medical aid schemes.
“Many have to take compulsory schemes through their employers or have the need for specific medical care or treatment that they cannot afford as an out-of-pocket expense.”

There are ways to minimise the cost of medical cover. How? Ask yourself the following questions:

Have you compared the costs and benefits you are currently receiving with other service providers? Maybe you are paying too much for the same cover.
What are your health requirements for the next year? Are you covered if you know you are planning to start a family? If not you could be charged extra at a later stage.

Are your dependents old enough to pay for
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Motsoaledi has ‘zero authority’ to help ailing hospitals

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Cape Town – Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi says he has “zero authority” to improve the functioning of troubled state hospitals, which are all managed by provincial governments.

Motsoaledi told the portfolio committee on health on Thursday that a two-year ministerial task team report highlighted 19 key problems at hospitals in six provinces around the country.

The task team spent two years visiting the 25 hospitals, most of which were struggling with staffing issues, budget problems, high-level vacancies and poor service conditions.

The minister said all 19 findings fell broadly into four categories, none of which were in his control.

“My conclusion is that a minister in health has a huge responsibility, but zero authority where it matters the most,” he lamented.

“Such authority is with the MECs of both finance and health, their premiers and executive councils.”

The areas in which these hospitals are falling short include human resources, procurement
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Transnet mediese fonds bankrot?

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Volgens vertroulike inligting wat ontvang is, blyk dit dat Transnet se mediese fonds in finansiële moeilikheid is.

Lede van die fonds gaan klaarblyklik oorgeplaas word na ‘n ander mediese fonds, maar lede sal baie meer moet betaal vir mediese dekking.

Oud Spoorweg werkers word veral geraak aangesien dit vir hul bykans onbekostigbaar gaan wees om die nuwe premies te bekostig.

Die Transnet pensioenfonds was in die verlede gereeld die hoof onderwerp in die media en moes oud spoorweg werkers hulle uiteindelik tot die hof wend om beter behandeling te kry.

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Free Medical-Aid, Hospital and Funeral Plan and Insurance Quotes at www.MedSure.co.za
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Topvyf chroniese siektes waaraan mediese fondse die meeste geld bestee

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’n Nuwe siekte het in 2017 kop uitgesteek onder die topvyf chroniese siektes waaraan mediese fondse wat Mediscor se dienste gebruik, die meeste geld bestee.

Die gebruik van generiese medisyne pleks van die oorspronklike is nou 59,9%.

Bipolêre gemoedsversteuring het asma onder die topvyf vervang.

Volgens Mediscor, die bestuurder van farmaseutiese voordele, se jaarlikse verslag het mediese fondse verlede jaar 64% van die totale besteding aan chroniese siektes wat onder voorgeskrewe minimum voordele val, aan die topvyf bestee.

Die topvyf (met die persentasie van die totale besteding aan chroniese siektes in hakies):

Hoë bloeddruk (26,5%)
Diabetes tipe 2 (13,6%)
MIV/vigs (10,8%)
Hoë cholesterol (8,2%)
Bipolêre gemoedsversteuring (5%)

Bipolêre gemoedsversteuring het asma in die vyfde plek vervang.

Die siektes se plek op die ranglys het effens verander gemeet aan die voorkoms per 1 000 lewens.

Die topvyf hier (met die getal per 1 000 lewens
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