The National Department of Health has responded to concerns over the National Healthcare Insurance (NHI) Bill,  but has given no clarity on what the system will cover or how the private sector will operate under it, according to BusinessTech.

Answers will be provided once the laws and regulations are passed.

The National Council of Provinces’s (NCOP) Select Committee on Health and Social Services noted this week that commentators are constantly seeking more detail about the NHI.

Commentators have stated that the lack of detail is directly misleading the public, because South Africans have no idea what they will actually get from the scheme. 

‘The NHI Bill provides a framework that requires regulations – not every single detail can be outlined and incorporated into a founding Act’, the health department said.

The department doesn’t know exactly how the scheme will be funded; it will be regulated later with the National Treasury.

‘It [the NHI Bill] also outlines the principle in terms of the health entitlements that will be covered, which are outlined as ‘comprehensive’ and covering the ‘full continuum’ of care.

The exact details of what will be covered will be provided in the regulations. This will allow for ‘flexibility around planning and proactively addressing population health needs as changes occur over time’, the department said.

The department says that it’s not stopping private healthcare providers from operating because they can do so outside the NHI system. However, the NHI will be exempt from all competition laws.

The department has indicated what the scheme will entail:

  • The scheme will be funded through taxation;
  • Medical aid tax credits will be removed; 
  • The Bill describes NHI coverage as ‘comprehensive’, but without detail;
  • Private medical services will continue in undetermined form;
  • The minister of health will determine much of what the NHI will cover;
  • Individual rights can’t outweigh the greater good.

The exact details on the scheme will only be determined by the department and the health minister once the foundational laws are in place.

[Cartoon: David Doubell for the Daily Friend]

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