The healthcare industry has been plagued by escalating healthcare costs which has seen several smaller schemes unable to sustain the balancing act of providing affordable cover while maintaining financial sustainability – a trend which is expected to continue. As one of the largest and most stable medical schemes in South Africa, our mission is to make quality healthcare more affordable and more accessible. We are, therefore, proud that many of these smaller schemes see Bonitas as a solution to the future for their existing members. We assure you that we will always do this in a very responsible manner as to not negatively affect our existing members. In light of this, approximately 7 200 members of the Community Medical Aid Scheme (Commed) will join Bonitas on 7 August 2017. The move will diversify our risk pool and allow us to make quality healthcare more accessible to a new market segment. These members will move across without underwriting or the imposition of waiting periods to ensure they do not experience a break in cover. Commed Members who do not wish to remain with Bonitas or who wish to change their allocated Bonitas benefit option will be free to do so by informing us accordingly. We are pleased that the Council of Medical Schemes has endorsed this opportunity and we will provide our new members with excellent service and healthcare of the highest quality. Our cost-containment initiatives continue to bear fruit, allowing our financial indicators to improve significantly in an industry plagued by escalating costs and high-claims cycles. We can assure you that this transaction will not affect the stability of the Fund and will firmly entrench our size which will allow us to negotiate even more effectively with medical suppliers and practitioners.
Kind regards Bonitas Medical Fund