Medshield has announced a 7.9% average annual increase for 2027 across its medical schemes, along with several changes to its benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The medical scheme said the increase comes as it tries to ensure affordability amid a challenging economic environment in South Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Our focus for 2027 ensures that members can afford to retain private healthcare in a challenging
economic environment,” Medshield principal officer Kevin Aron said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Along with the average annual increase, Medshield announced several changes to its benefits, including raising the age of child dependents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Across all benefit options, the child dependant age has increased from 21 to 24, and select co-payments have been reduced or removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The group said this change to co-payments is aimed at “reducing out-of-pocket expenses and supporting affordability.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other benefit changes included increased access to mental health care and improved diabetes screening options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Medshield also highlighted its partnership with Sanlam as a strong benefit for its clients and said it would provide access to several financial offerings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Medshield and Sanlam have signed a distribution agreement recognising Medshield as a Sanlam preferred healthcare partner,” the medical scheme said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Through the collaboration, members will progressively gain access to wellness, gap cover, financial planning, insurance, investment, retirement, banking and rewards solutions across the Sanlam ecosystem.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The collaboration also gives members and corporate clients access to Sanlam Gap, Sanlam Reality and Sanlam Wealth”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aron said the partnership comes as recognition that medical and financial decisions are closely linked for many South African households.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Healthcare decisions do not occur in isolation from the other financial pressures people face,” he said. “Health and financial well-being are closely connected”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 7.9% increase announced by Medshield is broadly in line with the recommendation made by the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The CMS published its medical aid contribution increase guidelines for 2027 earlier this year, which recommended that price hikes be anchored by 3.8%, plus “reasonable utilisation”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the CMS provided this anchor point in their guidelines, the group has an industry-wide overall weighted contribution increase assumption of 8.10% when factoring in utilisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This assumption is based on an evaluation made by the CMS in circular 21 of 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Global advisory group TWT projected increases in global medical price schemes to be higher than CMS’s assumptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The advisory group surveyed 91 countries and projected an average global increase of 10.3% for 2026 in its Global Medical Trends Survey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The survey projected higher average increases for the African and Middle Eastern regions, at 11.3%.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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