The Treasury is not known for flying blind, but Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi is great at it (New demarcation regulations to curb current market abuse, January 18). He wants to send in the Council of Medical Schemes (CMS) to knock out health insurance for low-income families with cheaper medical aid, but they have come up before with unsuccessful models. Smart reforms require having an empirical grip on the nature and scale of the issues. Motsoaledi’s intention is to socialise healthcare by sending in the CMS, which he has captured to do his bidding. Motsoaledi does not have the legal power to "direct" the CMS. He uses the existence of real problems that should be fixed in the private sector as an excuse for bringing in the state. Motsoaledi’s department has failed to come up with a National Health Insurance (NHI) Act. Until the NHI becomes law, Motsoaledi will be trying to have his way by manoeuvring like a tsar. But hey, this is not Russia. Dr Wilmot James, MPDA national health...
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