President Cyril Ramaphosa signing the National Health Insurance Bill into law at the Union Buildings. Picture: Jacques Naude / Independent NewspapersOn the heels of Discovery’s CEO Adrian Gore’s statements that the National Health Insurance scheme was ”problematic”, IOL Business takes a deep dive into the the criticism of the NHI Act.
Gore said that the implementation of the NHI Act, in its current form, will essentially wreck the South African economy. “There is just not enough funding available if the NHI is imposed in a draconian form that excludes private medical aids,” Gore added. “These two factors have been known to drive up health sector costs and thus will impact the predictions on tax implications.
“The current model, whereby revenue for healthcare is collected on a voluntary basis, will be limited to a small number of services. The creation of a single purchaser blocks individuals from contributing directly to their own healthcare costs, instead they will be taxed.” The company emphasised that South Africans should continue with their current healthcare arrangements.to the NHI Act, as it was unacceptable in its current form.