The SA Cabinet has approved the Department of Health’s latest iteration of the White Paper on National Health Insurance (NHI), paving the way for it to be published as a policy document in the government gazette.
Business Day reports that the timing is significant, as it comes less than two weeks before the ANC policy conference in early July.
NHI is an ambitious set of health financing reforms that aims to provide healthcare to everyone that is free at the point of care, the report says. “The White Paper takes the country closer to ensuring all South Africans have access to healthcare, irrespective of their socioeconomic status. This is consistent with the National Development Plan’s (NDP’s) objective that seeks to ensure everyone has access to healthcare, regardless of their income,” the Cabinet said.
The report says some of the key issues that will be scrutinised in the new policy are the details of package of benefits provided under NHI, how they will be paid for, and where the private sector will fit in…..more