PRESCRIBED MINIMUM BENEFITS
Rise in members with chronic diseases raise risk for medical schemes
The proportion of medical scheme members with chronic illnesses has been steadily increasing since 2011, posing a growing financial risk to the industry, the Council for Medical Schemes warned in a report released on Tuesday. "Patients registered on chronic programmes are sicker and claim more. That should be a concern for medical schemes," said the council’s GM for research and monitoring, Anton de Villiers. The council analysed data provided by medical schemes for the period 2011 to 2016 and found a significant increase in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes, which rose 35.4% to 31.5 cases per 1,000 members. The prevalence of high cholesterol rose 19.7% to 41.2 cases per 1,000 beneficiaries and hypertension ticked up 10.6% to 91 cases per 1,000 beneficiaries, it said in its report. The prevalence of HIV soared 135% to 22 cases per 1,000 beneficiaries. The council’s analysis drew on data for beneficiaries who had been diagnosed and treated for a condition, and were registered on a ch...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.