In a letter to Treasury the Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF) demands “urgent clarity” on Government’s plans to phase out medical scheme tax credits as a financing mechanism NHI, reported Business Day (31October 2025)
This follows a recent presentation by Deputy-Director for NHI, Dr Nicholas Crisp, suggesting a potential 15-year funding model for the NHI which includes the phasing out of tax credits as early as April next year.
However, in a recent affidavit he filed in legal proceedings over the NHI Act, Dr Crisp stated there was “no intention of impacting lower-income medical scheme members before Section 33 of the NHI Act comes into operation, which is projected to be 10 to 15 years away”.
The BHF warned that removing the credit would make membership unaffordable for between 430,000 and 690,000 members, forcing many to downgrade cover, remove dependants, or abandon private healthcare entirely.