Why private health costs so much

Five years on, dept has not implemented recommendations of market inquiry.

- Ina Opperman

The Competition Commission released the Health Market Inquiry report that contained key recommendations to bring down the cost of private healthcare on 30 September, 2019.

But five years later government has not implemented any of these recommendations.

This means that health care costs have continued to escalate unnecessarily, making it unaffordable for many citizens.

Now the Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF) has written to the Competition Commission, calling for a formal response to the BHF's application for exemption from provisions of the Competition Act.

The BHF submitted the application in 2021 because the exemption would allow medical schemes to collectively negotiate tariffs with health care providers and make this information public, Katlego Mothudi, managing director of the BHF, said.

"The exemption was one of the recommendations and if it is implemented, it would ensure greater transparency around the cost of private health care.