future contribution increases. This includes the 30 % co-payment which was introduced at 14 specific Life Healthcare hospitals on several options. Life Healthcare has since waived the co-payment and it no longer applies.
B-Living: our all new Member Magazine
Over the past few months, we’ ve seen various changes at Bonitas. One of our key successes was the amalgamation with LMS, which welcomed several new members into our fold. We also introduced the Babyline benefit on all options and three new plans, BonComplete, Hospital Plus and Hospital Standard to our product offering. In terms of leadership, we parted ways with Dr Bobby Ramasia in December 2016, after his contract expired. While these changes signal the dawning of a new era and growth and development for Bonitas, one thing remains consistent: our commitment to providing you with affordable, quality healthcare.
As you may be aware, the past few years have been challenging for the medical aid industry. In 2015 and 2016, we experienced an increase in medical claims which were much higher than previous years. As a result, we implemented various initiatives to assist in managing future claims costs without impacting on the level of benefits that our members currently access. The initiatives have been instrumental in taking Bonitas from a loss to a marginal surplus.
With hospitalisation accounting for almost half of our claims expenditure, negotiations with all hospital groups is our key focus area. The negotiation process includes agreeing on the tariffs charged for all hospital services used by our members, as well as assessing the quality of service the hospitals offer. We used our increased size to our advantage and were able to negotiate more favourable hospital tariffs for the 2017 benefit year and beyond. This is expected to save the Scheme R580 million over the next three years which will directly impact on
As you have no doubt noticed, our Member Magazine will now be known as B-Living. Our heartfelt congratulations go out to Bronwin Page, who came up with the winning name. In addition to the new name, we have refreshed the design of the magazine and included a range of tips and information to keep you and your loved ones on the path to good health.
Our feature article on allergies on page 24 helps address some of the causes and concerns associated with intolerances and allergies, which have increased in prevalence over the last decade. We share tips on how to recognise the signs and symptoms of allergies and tips to handle them effectively. As part of our commitment to providing you and your loved ones with quality healthcare, we’ ve included some insight on how our childcare benefits can help you maintain the good health of your children on page 8. This includes information on good nutrition and wellness too.
One of key aims is to help give our members more value for money and stretch their benefits as far as possible. An effective and simple way to do this is to opt for generic medication, which is cheaper than original medication, but works in the same way. On page 15, we compare these two types of medicine to help you make informed choices, when it comes to managing your healthcare.
As the official sponsor of the Comrades Marathon, we’ re in full support of members leading happier and healthier lifestyles. This iconic South African race is one of the most anticipate events on the athletics calendar, and celebrates ordinary people doing extraordinary things. See all the action from last year’ s race, learn more about the Bonitas Comrades Seminars and get top tips on hydration, nutrition and pacing on page 19. There’ s also an opportunity for you to win a pair of running shoes from New Balance, so be sure to enter the competition on page 23.
Engaging with our members is integral to our success. We will continue to look at ways to enhance our offerings and improve our service to you, our valued members.
Gerhard van Emmenis
Acting Principal Officer
Page 3 B-Living Issue 1, 2017