Major changes to tariffs and scheme options suggested in private healthcare inquiry
The inquiry’s provisional report recommends a Supply-Side Regulator of Healthcare to determine tariffs, which is welcomed by the South African Medical Association
Standard tariffs for medical practitioners, the standardisation of medical scheme options, and more targeted licensing for hospitals are in the offing if the government decides to implement the recommendations of the Competition Commission’s inquiry into the private healthcare market. The provisional report of the inquiry, which was released at a briefing on Thursday by chairman, former chief justice Sandile Ngcobo, has recommended the creation of a dedicated Supply-Side Regulator of Healthcare to regulate medical practitioners and determine tariffs. It has also recommended that tariffs for prescribed medical benefits should be binding and that tariffs for non-prescribed medical benefit conditions should have the status of reference tariffs. Its recommendations come in the wake of the release of two bills that will also overhaul healthcare in the country: the National Health Insurance Bill and the Medical Schemes Amendment Bill. The inquiry looked into the constraints on competition...
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