Medical schemes bill will not be published until NHI Bill gets Cabinet nod
Doctors are anxiously waiting to see details of proposals for a uniform tariff, which they say could lead to an exodus of medical professionals
The keenly awaited Medical Schemes Amendment Bill will not be published for comment until the Cabinet has approved the National Health Insurance Bill, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi says. The minister said earlier in May that the Medical Schemes Amendment Bill aimed to protect consumers and would introduce a uniform tariff and scrap co-payments for a defined basket of benefits. Healthcare providers are anxiously waiting to see the details of this proposal, with doctors’ groups warning that a cap on their fees could prompt an exodus from the profession. The Cabinet announced on Thursday that it had approved the Medical Schemes Amendment Bill, fuelling speculation it could be published in the Government Gazette within days. However, in an interview with Business Day on Monday, Motsoaledi said the two bills were “twinned” and would be published together, once the Cabinet had approved the National Health Insurance Bill. The earliest it could do so would be at its next meeting, on June...
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