The Medical Schemes Amendment Bill has been gazetted for public comment, setting in motion a potentially contentious debate between the government, industry and consumer groups over how best to protect patients from catastrophic medical expenses.
Briefing reporters ahead of the release of the bill, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said the changes were intended to give greater protection to medical scheme members and ensure more of their monthly premiums was spent on healthcare, rather than broker fees or accumulating medical scheme reserves. ….more