2026 medical aid contribution increases: DHMS vs the rest

2026-03-17 - 12:40

Discovery Health Medical Scheme (DHMS) contributions will increase for 2026 from April, following a decision by the scheme in October to defer these for three months. This was due to the solvency position of the scheme – 32.6% at the end of December, which is substantially higher than the 25% required by law. It has been well above this level since 2019. This year’s deferral is the fourth time increases have been delayed by DHMS; the others were in 2021, 2022 and 2023 as healthcare utilisation rates slowly recovered after the Covid-19 pandemic. On average, contributions across DHMS plans will rise by 7.2% for the remainder of this year, with 65% of members experiencing a 6.9% increase and the balance seeing a 7.9% rise in contributions. ALSO READ: 5 myths about medical aid schemes to leave behind in 2025 DHMS new plan Discovery’s newest plan, Active Smart, which is designed for young professionals, sees no increase. This plan, which it says is “the fastest growing plan in the market”, has helped slow the increase in the average age of members in the scheme. Because of the deferred increase, this average weighted increase of 7.2% could actually arguably be seen as 5.4% across the year (given zero change in the first three months). DHMS increases contributions On average, DHMS has increased contributions by the second-lowest percentage among the seven largest schemes. The increases at Momentum and Fedhealth are both in excess of 9.5%, with Fedhealth boasting that “just 9.6%” is “one of the lowest increases in years”. Fedhealth has benefitted from additional scale following the take on of 7 800 Sanlam employees as part of its partnership with the insurer. ALSO READ: Discovery to cough up after major medication claims mistake Average weighted contribution increases for 2026: MMS (Momentum) 9.9% Fedhealth 9.6% Bonitas 8.8% Medihelp 8.46% Medshield 7.5% DHMS (Discovery) 7.2% BestMed 6.8% BestMed implemented a weighted average increase of 6.8%, which is the lowest among the seven largest schemes. It says the contributions for some options will rise by “as little as 5.1%”. What it doesn’t say is that some will rise by as much as 7.8%. It does note that over the past five years, its principal membership has grown by 28%. Medihelp says its weighted average contribution increase is 8.46% for 2026, with “most members seeing increases of 7.5% or less”. It explains that the baseline for medical inflation is CPI but that several additional layers, including tariffs, technology, demographics and utilisation, drive medical costs higher. Medical inflation exceeds CPI Typically, medical inflation is CPI plus between 4% and 6%. Discovery has said that medical inflation typically exceeds CPI by 3% to 4%. The Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) published a circular in September which recommended that schemes limit their contribution increases “to 3.3% plus reasonable utilisation estimates”. It says it is concerned by the trend of annual medical scheme contribution rates consistently increasing at a higher rate than consumer inflation “as it places a significant financial burden on members of medical schemes”. “Coupled with steep increases in the price of electricity and high food inflation, it is evident that most household budgets are significantly constrained,” it adds. ALSO READ: How to choose the right medical aid scheme cover for 2026 The seven largest medical aid schemes in South Africa: Plans and contribution increases for 2026: Scheme Plan 2026 Increase BestMed Pace1 5.1% BestMed Pace2 7.8% BestMed Pace3 7.8% BestMed Pace4 7.8% BestMed Beat1 (and Network) 7.5% BestMed Beat2 (and Network) 7.5% BestMed Beat3 (and Network) 7.5% BestMed Beat3 plus 5.2% BestMed Beat4 7.8% BestMed Rhythm1 7.5% BestMed Rhythm2 6.1% Bonitas BonComprehensive 10.5% Bonitas BonClassic 10.5% Bonitas BonComplete 9.5% Bonitas BonSave 7.0% Bonitas BonPrime (previously Primary Select) 10.5% Bonitas BonFit 6.9% Bonitas Standard 9.0% Bonitas Standard Select 10.5% Bonitas Primary 8.5% Bonitas BonStart Plus 7.0% Bonitas BonStart 7.0% Bonitas Hospital Standard 9.5% Bonitas BonEssential 9.5% Bonitas BonEssential Select 7.0% Bonitas BonCap 11.3% DHMS (Discovery) Executive 7.9% DHMS (Discovery) Classic Comprehensive 7.9% DHMS (Discovery) Classic Smart Comprehensive 7.9% DHMS (Discovery) Classic Priority 6.9% DHMS (Discovery) Essential Priority 6.9% DHMS (Discovery) Classic Saver 6.9% DHMS (Discovery) Classic Delta Saver 6.9% DHMS (Discovery) Essential Saver 6.9% DHMS (Discovery) Essential Delta Saver 6.9% DHMS (Discovery) Coastal Saver 7.9% DHMS (Discovery) Classic Smart Saver 6.9% DHMS (Discovery) Essential Smart Saver 6.9% DHMS (Discovery) Classic Smart 6.9% DHMS (Discovery) Essential Smart 6.9% DHMS (Discovery) Essential Dynamic Smart 6.9% DHMS (Discovery) Active Smart 0% DHMS (Discovery) Classic Core 6.9% DHMS (Discovery) Classic Delta Core 6.9% DHMS (Discovery) Essential Core 6.9% DHMS (Discovery) Essential Delta Core 6.9% DHMS (Discovery) Coastal Core 7.9% DHMS (Discovery) KeyCare 7.9% Fedhealth myFED 8% Fedhealth flexiFED Savvy 9.5% Fedhealth flexiFED 1 5% Fedhealth flexiFED 2 9.5% Fedhealth flexiFED 3 14.5% Fedhealth flexiFED 4 14.5% Fedhealth maxima EXEC 14.5% Fedhealth maxima PLUS 14.5% Medihelp MedElite 9.2% Medihelp MedPlus 9.2% Medihelp MedPrime (and Elect) 9.2% Medihelp MedSaver 9.2% Medihelp MedReach 7.5% Medihelp MedAdd 8.5% Medihelp MedAdd Elect 7.3% Medihelp MedVital (and Elect) 7.4% Medihelp MedMove! 6% Medihelp MedMove! Student 7.4% Medshield Premium Plus 8% Medshield MediBonus 8% Medshield MediSaver 8% Medshield MediPlus (Prime and Compact) 8.9% Medshield MediCore 9.9% Medshield MediValue (Prime and Compact) 7% Medshield MediPhila 7% Medshield MediaCurve 7% MMS (Momentum) Summit Option 10.5% MMS (Momentum) Extender Option 10% to 10.3% MMS (Momentum) Incentive Option 9.8% to 10.1% MMS (Momentum) Custom Option 9.8% to 9.9% MMS (Momentum) Evolve Option 9.9% MMS (Momentum) Ingwe Option 9.4% to 9.8% This article was republished from Moneyweb. Read the original here.