The long-awaited low-cost benefit option (LCBO) report has finally been publicly released by the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS), but has been immediately rejected by the Health Minister as unworkable. Instead, a new plan is being proposed, which could lead to a major policy shift for medical schemes, writes MedicalBrief.
In a statement published (unusually) together with a call for comments on the report, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi expressed his dissatisfaction with LCBO recommendations, and instead punted the implementation of the Health Market Inquiry (HMI) recommendations relating to the establishment of a basic benefit package through an amendment to the Medical Schemes Act.
This, he said, would be combined with a Multilateral Price Negotiation Forum (MPNF) which is more likely to lead to the development of a comprehensive benefit package at an affordable premium for low-income households.
To this end, the Minister of Trade, Industry & Competition published the interim block exemption for tariff determination on 14 February. The forum would be entrusted to “collectively recommend quality measurements/metrics, to the Office of Health Standards Compliance and recommend medicines formularies and treatment protocols/guidelines to the NDoH” (see story below)…..more
