What your medical aid increase could cost you in 2027
South Africans face another round of medical aid increases in 2027, adding hundreds of rand to household budgets already squeezed by food, debt and falling purchasing power.
South African medical aid costs could rise significantly in 2027, adding pressure to already strained household budgets. Most major open medical schemes plan to increase contributions by 7% to 9% for next year, far above the recommended 3.8% by the Council for Medical Schemes. Discovery Health, the largest open scheme, expects an 8.2% average increase.
Even a 8% rise on a R3,000 monthly contribution would add R240, while someone paying R8,000 would need to fork out an extra R640 each month. These increases come as average net salaries have fallen, with the typical take-home pay worth just R20,164 after accounting for inflation. For someone earning the average salary, a medical aid contribution already consumes nearly a quarter of their income.
If medical aid costs increase by 8%, it would consume almost the same percentage. While medical aid doesn't cover all healthcare expenses, households still spent R31.5 billion out of pocket on healthcare in 2022/23. Adding medical aid and food expenses to the average take-home salary leaves little room for other necessities like housing, transport, and electricity.
Higher interest rates on loans and car financing also add to the financial burden. Together, medical aid, food, and debt increases could require households to pay an additional R717 each month or around R8,600 a year.
Written by urgent.news from IOL's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
