Tag: Michael Settas
Government blocking affordable health solutions
The recent presentation at the Board of Healthcare Funder’s annual conference by Christoff Raath, joint-CEO of Insight Actuaries, should garner wide support from the private healthcare industry. Raath quite rightly lamented the incredibly slow pace and prevaricating by the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) in developing lower cost medical scheme options that could introduce millions more members into the private health sector.
Research shows NHI cannot solve SA’s healthcare problems
New research provides crucial analysis and insight into South Africa’s proposed National Health Insurance and the dramatic, detrimental impact it will have on both the private and public health sectors. The research paper, 'An Overview of South Africa’s Health Assets and the National Health Insurance Policy', formed the basis for oral evidence provided to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health on the NHI Bill, prior to Parliament convening on the matter today.
Election fever stokes the NHI fire
When in the grip of election fever, it becomes even more difficult than usual to decipher facts from the deluge of rhetoric and obfuscation proffered by politicians.
Health policy contradictions
Governments are often tempted to obfuscate reality through populist promises. South Africa is no different in this regard. For 23 years, health policy has gone from the 1995 policy paper on ‘free healthcare’ for all, to a Social Health Insurance (SHI) proposal in 1999 – hated by labour because it included a payroll tax. By 2004, reality set in. Free healthcare for all was simply not possible.
