Haibo: Discovery Reveals 5.9% Price Hike for Medical Scheme Members
- Discovery has announced a price hike for medical scheme members across all its options from 1 July this year
- Discovery Health Medical Scheme shared that the 5.9% increase is an important decision to align member contributions to real healthcare costs
- Many of the medical scheme members are not happy with the price hike because they have not received salary increases this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic
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Discovery Health Medical Scheme (DHMS) has announced a 5.9% increase across all its options from 1 July this year.
DHMS is also allowing its members a once-off chance to upgrade their plans mid-year. The deadline for upgrade applications is 15 June.
Source: Instagram
In a statement, CEO of Discovery Health, Dr Ryan Noach, said the 5.9% increase is an important decision to align member contributions to real healthcare costs.
Fin24 reports that Noach further said the price hike places DHMS in an ideal position to offer an affordable contribution increase for the upcoming benefit year in 2022, and beyond.
Last year, the Council for Medical Schemes recommended that medical aids freeze their price hikes for 2021 or limit their increases to around inflation, which is currently above 4%.
Social media users have shared mixed reactions to the price increase. The majority of them are not very pleased by Discovery's decision. Check out some of their comments below:
@samadhassen said:
"They have discovered that they can take money from us as and when they wish. They will pay whatever they wish from your claims. The scheme has been complicated with hundreds of rules. The NHI won't make it any easier either. We're in trouble."
@stswadi wrote:
"Medical aid is going up but salary still the same, we are dead, I mean real dead."
@dzinenonline commented:
"No different to the ANC!"
@lotlis commented:
"That's above inflation, while salaries remain stagnant."
@SibusisoThabede wrote:
"When we are all struggling with the financial impact of COVID-19, then they decide to increase premiums? How will their members afford the new premiums when employers are offering 1.5% salary increases? This is ridiculous."
@MsAfrolicious said:
"In other words, the milking begins... brought to you by DISCOVERY!! We need a medical aid and hospital plans threads!! Could people drop or tag affordable medical schemes excluding the government medical schemes!!"
@MarcusPapiah1 added:
"To cover the vaccine reimbursement."
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In other news, Briefly News reported that the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (Casac) wants EFF leader Julius Malema to be withdrawn as the National Assembly's delegate to the Judicial Services Commission.
Casac's executive secretary, Lawson Naidoo, has complained to the Parliament's Registrar of Members' Interests about Malema's alleged unsubstantiated attacks on the judiciary and his conduct at the JSC. Naidoo asked the registrar to recommend to Parliament's Joint Committee on Ethics and Members' Interest that Malema is in breach of the ethics code.
In his affidavit, Naidoo said the attacks are objectionable because they are made by a member of the Assembly, who is supposed to represent the public interest and uphold the integrity of the court.
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Source: Briefly News
