Medical Schemes Amendment Bill

Call for comments opened 21 June 2018 Share this page:

Submissions are now closed (since 21 September 2018)

Health

The Minister of Health invites interested parties to submit written comments on the proposed draft Medical Schemes Amendment Bill.

The comments on the draft Bill must be submitted to [email protected] by no later than 21 September 2018

 

This Bill aims:

To amend the Medical Schemes Act, 1998; so as to exclude the application of the Consumer Protection Act, 2008, in relation to matters governed by the Medical Schemes Act; to extend the functions of the Council; to insert a new section 8A in terms of which the Council may require information from medical schemes concerning the services rendered by the health care providers to beneficiaries; to insert a new Chapter 3A providing for the creation of a Central Beneficiary Register and the management of that register by the Registrar and to establish risk measurement methodology; to redetermine the provisions relating to the admission of beneficiaries to a medical scheme and the cancellation of membership; to insert a new Chapter 5B, in relation to the various requirements applicable in determining the contributions payable to a medical scheme by its members; to provide for a Health Care Providers Register to be kept and maintained by the Registrar; to repeal certain sections; to re- determine the provision dealing with the establishment of the Appeal Board; to introduce an enhanced system of governance of medical schemes under the new chapter 11A; to empower the Council to determine broker fees from time to time and define the circumstances in which a medical scheme may receive payment of broker fees due by its members to a broker; to declare the carrying on of the business of a medical scheme by a person not registered as a medical scheme to be a separate offence, to prescribe the criminal penalties that may be imposed on persons convicted of that offence; and to provide for matters connected therewith.