Various factors enable groups of individuals to join medical schemes.
People need to understand the social solidarity nature of medical scheme cover.
Most South Africans join a medical scheme through their employment. Another reason why individuals join medical schemes is because they are seeking a perceived higher quality of care in the private sector, particularly for hospitalisation. Most people cannot afford to pay out-of-pocket for private hospitalisation, therefore they enrol in medical schemes.
There are people who join medical schemes purely because they are risk-averse, meaning that they are not compelled by their employer to do so but join because they understand the catastrophic nature of healthcare expenditure. Medical scheme cover gives these individuals access to better resourced healthcare facilities that would otherwise be beyond their reach. Continue reading
