Bonitas Member Magazine B-Living - Issue 2 | Page 14

Hospital
negotiations
& the 30%
co-payment
Healthcare costs are consistently higher than inflation.
In South Africa, these costs are not regulated, so it is pivotal for
medical aid schemes to explore ways and means of decreasing
costs on the supplier side, particularly with hospitals.
As a result, in 2016, Bonitas commenced negotiations with
the three largest hospital groups in South Africa, with a view
of creating a network of Designated Service Providers (DSPs).
A hospital network allows for Bonitas to negotiate preferential
tariff s with participating hospitals, to help curtail the burden of
escalating healthcare costs on our members. This follows one of
the core strategic pillars of Bonitas – strategic purchasing – which
uses the Fund’s market share to negotiate and influence prices.
Page 13
B-Living Issue 2, 2017