Medical Aids

 

Government Employees Medical Scheme admitted to blowing hundreds of thousands of its members’ contributions on office space for rats and roaches to enjoy

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The Government Employees Medical Scheme (Gems) has admitted to blowing hundreds of thousands of its members’ contributions to pay for an empty building for a year.

Gems has been forking out more than R60,000 a month to Mowana Properties for its North West regional office on the Borekelong House ground floor in Mahikeng since September last year without occupying it.

The rental expenditure has resulted in Public Service and Administration Minister Ayanda Dlodlo calling for an investigation into the matter.

Instead of occupying the office space, GEMS opted to rent the Kobo Segole Guest House conference room for R31,000 a month. Insiders said that this has been categorised as “wasteful expenditure”, but no one has been held responsible.

Mowana Properties on Friday confirmed collecting monthly rentals from GEMS coffers as per the “legally-binding” lease agreement between the two parties. Company spokesperson Ignatius Sathekge said Mowana was not responsible f
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“Fake Food is Fake News” – Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi

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Eight months after it began, South Africa’s listeriosis outbreak – the largest the world had ever seen – is officially over. But the nation’s alleged spate of “fake food”? Well, that may have been more hype than fact, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi revealed at a Pretoria press conference on Monday.

The foodborne bacteria, which can thrive in cold meats and unpasteurised dairy products, had claimed at least 218 lives as of July, according to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases statistics (NICD). The NICD eventually discovered the bug at 158 factories, all but nine of which were visited by health inspectors. Ultimately, more than 12,000 tons of food were recalled and destroyed, Motsoaledi said.

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 55
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The Private healthcare industry needs to change

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The “startling costs” of South African private healthcare is at the heart of the Competition Commission’s Health Market Inquiry (HMI) draft report released in July. While cost is a key theme, the report also describes a sector lacking the vital force of authentic, robust competition.

Currently, the South African private healthcare sector is an opaque system dominated by a small handful of players. Members pay for medical scheme cover, and accept that they will also have to pay costs out of their own pockets.

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

The common refrain of the medical aid will pay is one that is inherently false. It is not the medical aid that pays, but the member. “The fact that so many people cling to this erro
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Medical Aid Fraud:- Audiologist convicted of 259 counts

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Earlier this month, Wandile Theophilus Mashego, an audiologist and speech therapist practising in Pretoria, was found guilty of 259 counts of medical aid fraud and one count for contravening Section 66 of the Medical Schemes Act.

The case was brought against him by Bonitas Medical Fund after it was discovered he had been submitting fraudulent claims on behalf of members over a period of two years – from 2014 to 2015.

A soon to be identified ‘runner’ provided details of Bonitas Medical Fund members to Mashego, who then billed Bonitas fraudulently, for ‘services’ to these members.

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

Mashego pleaded guilty under Section 105A of the Criminal Procedure Act 77 of 1951 and was sentence
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Market concentration is plaguing South Africa’s private healthcare market

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The preliminary findings of a recent inquiry into South Africa’s private healthcare sector shows worrying trends. Key among the inquiry’s revelations are high concentration levels in the market.

For example, the report shows that 70% of the open medical schemes market is controlled by two players – Discovery Health Medical Scheme and Bonitas. The market for restricted medical aid schemes is dominated by the Government Employees Medical Scheme, with a 47% market share. The medical scheme administrators market is controlled by three players, Discovery Health, MMI Holdings and Medscheme. These three have a 70% combined market share.

The situation is no better in the market for private hospitals. Three hospital groups – Netcare, Mediclinic and Life Healthcare – hold 83% of the national market.

The concentration problem in the private healthcare sector is further compounded by integration. Two of the largest medical scheme administrators, Discovery Health and
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Let’s have a look at 5 things you shouldn’t do to heal a wound

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From applying wine and beer to a scratch to using ants to bite and seal a cut – humans have tried almost anything to accelerate the healing of wounds over the centuries.

We’ve come a long way since then, but we still don’t always get it right when it comes to caring for our wounds.

Most people still have a scar somewhere from a childhood fall or a soccer match gone wild, but the right treatment could have accelerated healing by up to 50% and reduced the risk of scarring, says Dr. Rainer Wolber from Beiersdorf AG’s Research & Development Centre.

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

Here are 5 things not to do when taking care of a wound.

1. Don’t leave your wound to air-dry
If y
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‘Beste’ mediese skema wen met eenvoud, waarde

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Medihelp is nou die mediese skema waarmee lede die meeste tevrede is.

Lede van mediese skemas is egter in die geheel beskou effens minder tevrede met hul produk as ’n jaar gelede.

Die tevredenheid van lede van Discovery Health Medical Scheme en van Bonitas het albei gedaal.

Dis onder die bevindings van die South African Customer Satisfaction Index (SAcsi) vir mediese skemas vir 2018, wat Donderdag uitgereik is.

Daarvolgens het die gemiddelde punt vir mediese skemas van 74,2 in 2017 tot 72,7 in 2018 gedaal. Dis uit ’n moontlike 100 punte.

Die grootste rede vir die daling is Suid-Afrikaners se “toenemende frustrasie met stygende premies en dalende voordele”. Hulle voel dat hulle minder waarde vir hul geld kry vergeleke met ander finansiële dienste, sê Schreuder.

Mediese skemas se premies het vanjaar met gemiddeld 9% gestyg, baie meer as waarmee kort- en langtermynversekering se premies gestyg het.

Oor Discovery, die grootste oop mediese ske
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What happens when disaster strikes

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There are a lot of scary threats in the world – extreme weather, terrorist attacks, deadly infectious diseases, mass shootings – but if healthcare organisations plan ahead for such disasters, lives can be saved.

The first step for health care organisations preparing for emergencies is to accurately assess the kinds of hazards they may face, such as flooding, power outages, or violence, emergency preparedness expert, Paul Biddinger said at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health as part of the Hot Topics summer lecture series.

In 2005, Biddinger and colleagues learned from consultants from Israel—who’d dealt with bombings that resulted in mass casualties—that the average time from when a bomb goes off until the first person reaches the closest emergency department is four minutes. Experts from other places that had dealt with bombings, including London, Madrid, and Mumbai, confirmed that events unfold incredibly quickly during a disaster.

Realising that
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New Survey: Medical aid members have more choice

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In the battle for a slice of the private healthcare market, there has been significant growth in the number of medical schemes performing well across all sections of the medical aid spectrum. Whilst this means that members get more choice, it also makes the landscape increasingly complex.

The GTC 2018 Medical Aid Survey (MAS) analyses and rates medical aid schemes according to a standardised comparison and ranks the choices available to members.

When analysed purely in terms of premiums – the survey’s micro ranking – Fedhealth emerged as the medical aid which held the most top positions across all the classifications. Discovery was ranked in first place for the survey’s macro rankings, which analyses a medical aid’s overall ‘health’ and longevity in terms of factors such as its solvency level, membership growth, net healthcare result and member satisfaction. When combining both the GTC micro and macro rankings, Discovery claimed the highest number o
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These are the cheapest and most expensive medical aids in South Africa

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The latest GTC (formerly Grant Thornton Capital) Medical Aid Survey for 2018 has been released, which compares local medical aid schemes on cost to members across various levels of cover.

South Africa’s medical aid industry is facing an uncertain time ahead with government recently pushing through two new healthcare bills that are set to shake up the entire system ahead of the launch of the National Healthcare Insurance (NHI) scheme.

According to GTC, there are still many lingering questions that need to be answered in term of government’s plans – with many risks in the proposed changes that could lead to higher costs for consumers who rely of private healthcare.

“The NHI and amendments to the Medical Schemes Bill are inevitable. The disparity between the have’s (some eight million members) and the have-not’s (some 45 million) is real and needs addressing. Government intervention is urgently required,” it said.

“It is however equally importa
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South African Medical Association takes issue with Competition Commission findings

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The South African Medical Association (Sama) believes that the Competition Commission Health Market Inquiry (HMI) provisional report is faulty in its findings, particularly that doctors increase demand for unnecessary services.

In a statement, the association says that in light of the fact that the investigation took almost four years to complete and runs to hundreds of pages, it is, on first review, somewhat disappointed in the overall analysis of the private healthcare sector.

Doctor-induced moral hazard

Sama is particularly concerned about the allegations that doctors increase demand of unnecessary services, including increased admissions to hospitals, says chairperson, Dr Mzukisi Grootboom.

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
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‘Private healthcare not affordable, even for people who are supposedly rich’

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The findings of the Competition Commission’s Health Market Inquiry released today reveal what Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi says he already knew – that private healthcare has become so exorbitantly expensive, even those on medical aid can’t afford it.

Moreover, the commission found – during its more than four-year-long investigation – that the market was characterised by high and rising costs of healthcare and medical scheme cover, disempowered and uninformed consumers, and a general absence of value-based purchasing.

“That private healthcare has become costlier and costlier has been proven today, some of us knew it long ago back in 2009 that private healthcare no longer affordable, even for people who are supposedly rich who are on medical aid can’t afford it,” Motsoaledi said at the briefing held in Sandton to announce the release of the much anticipated provisional report.

According to the inquiry’s chairperson, former Chief Justice, Sa
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You might ask the following question regarding the NHI:- Will I be able to opt out of the NHI?

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In June, the health minister released the long-awaited National Health Insurance Bill. What does it mean to you and your medical aid? We tell you.

1. Will you be able to say “thanks, but no thanks”?

If the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill is passed in its current form, the NHI will be compulsory, regardless of whether you also belong to a private medical aid. So, opting out won’t be possible. The Bill says the NHI, which will be like a big, state-funded medical scheme, will be a free service, but it doesn’t tell us what benefits will be covered, how the scheme will be paid for or how much it will cost.

2. When will the NHI start, and, will it actually happen?

The NHI Bill says the scheme will be implemented in three phases — we’re currently in the second phase (2017 – 2022), during which NHI legislation has to be developed and the NHI fund has to be established. During the last phase, from 2022 – 2026, Cabinet
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Health Market Inquiry:- calls for medical aid schemes to be transparent

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A report by the Health Market Inquiry (HMI) looking into the private healthcare industry has recommended that there be increased transparency and improved competition.

The HMI released its provisional report on Thursday after hearing evidence from a number of stakeholders in the past three years.

The inquiry, which is chaired by the ex-Chief Justice, Sandile Ngcobo, was set up to look into the costs of healthcare and the operations of medical schemes.

“Overall we recommend changes to the way scheme options are structured to increase comparability between schemes and increase competition in that market.

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

“A system to increase transparency on health outcomes to allow for value purch
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Hier is die 20 beste hospitale in SA

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Die resultate van die nuutste peiling onder pasiënte wat Discovery Health uitgevoer het om die beste hospitale in die land aan te wys, toon sewe hospitale wat al vier jaar agtereenvolgens op die lysie is.

Lede van mediese skemas wat deur Discovery Health geadministreer word, het aan die peiling deelgeneem oor die hospitale waar hulle in 2017 opgeneem is. Die lys is uit 140 hospitale saamgestel.

Life Healthcare, en die onafhanklike netwerk van hospitale wat lede van die National Hospital Network (NHN) is, het die meeste hospitale op die lys.

Netcare het net een hospitaal op die lys.

NHN het die meeste hospitale wat reeds vier jaar agtereenvolgens op die lys is.

Hier is die lys van die 20 beste hospitale in alfabetiese volgorde:

1. Ahmed Al-Kadi- private hospitaal (Durban, KwaZulu-Natal)

2. eThekwini-hospitaal en -hartsentrum (Durban, KwaZulu-Natal)

3. Gateway- private hospitaal (Umhlanga Rocks, KwaZulu-Natal)

4. Hillcrest- private hospitaal (
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