In a Government Gazette, published on 18 Feb, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi called for public feedback on the latest Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) report concerning low-cost benefit options (LCBOs). – Business Day (19 Feb 2025)
“The Minister questions whether low-income earners would utilise LCBOs when state facilities provide comparable services at minimal or no cost.”
Instead, he recommends amending the Medical Schemes Act and creating a multilateral price negotiation forum in accordance with the findings of the Health Market Inquiry (HMI).
The CMS highlights the necessity to “preserve and protect the implementation of NHI” as one of its main reasons for opposing LCBOs.
Meanwhile, the Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF), which has taken the CMS to court regarding LCBO delays, asserts that the CMS’s recommendations are politically motivated. The BHF also contests Motsoaledi’s assertion that LCBOs lack value.
According to the BHF the Minister has no evidence to claim that LCBOs will not significantly benefit lower-income earners.