The updated scheme is set to launch in October and will be available to join from January 2026.
When it comes to medical aid, we don’t often associate it with being flexible or affordable. But following Sanlam’s endorsement of Fedhealth as its open medical scheme partner of choice, Fedhealth and Sanlam are coming together to revitalise medical aid as we know it, with a revised scheme aimed at embodying customisation, affordability and inclusivity.
We don’t often associate medical aid in South Africa with choice and flexibility. While open medical aid schemes may offer different plans with various coverage options, there are often limits on how much they can be customised to an individual’s health circumstances. Then there’s the cost factor: for many South Africans, medical aid is considered unaffordable.
However, if medical aid were truly flexible, it would also be more affordable and inclusive for more South Africans. How? Through a simple but powerful idea: when members are given more choices, they gain more control.
That control leads to greater affordability, which means it’s more inclusive. It’s a chain reaction – a domino effect – that results in a better medical aid product overall.
This is the idea behind an updated medical aid scheme soon to be relaunched by Fedhealth, one of South Africa’s most established and trusted medical aid schemes, and financial services giant Sanlam.
The revised scheme, set to launch in October, aims to embody a set of five core values: trust, simplicity, customisation, affordability and inclusivity.
Affordability isn’t just about price
In the context of medical aid, affordability isn’t just about lower prices – it’s about being able to choose which aspects of health coverage you need, leaving the rest. Rather than using a one-size-fits-all model, the updated scheme asks the question: what health cover do you actually need right now?
That might be a hospital plan while you’re still young and healthy, or chronic cover for one of your dependents. It might be a plan that fits your budget during tough times, or that expands when your circumstances change.
If consumers are given more choice in their options structure and can leave out extras that don’t apply to them, they can pay only for what they use. This makes the entire system more affordable, not just for individuals, but for families and communities as well.
More control means more confidence
Having more control over your option structure doesn’t just reduce your monthly contributions; it also provides you more peace of mind that your coverage can adapt as your needs change. Whether your family grows, your income shifts, or you develop new health needs, your medical aid can shift with you.
For many South Africans – especially those managing households, caring for dependents or navigating a variable income – this kind of control is game-changing.
Customisation is the key to real affordability
Here’s where the domino effect kicks in: when you’re able to tailor your medical cover, it naturally brings down the cost. It’s important to note, though, that the updated scheme’s view on affordability isn’t about cutting corners or removing key benefits.
“It reduces waste, increases value and helps members stay covered even when money is tight.”
Inclusion that benefits all
For many South Africans, medical aid is seen as a “nice to have” rather than an essential, due to its cost.
“With affordability implemented as a core value, the new scheme can be inclusive in the broadest sense,” says Jeremy Yatt, Fedhealth’s Principal Officer.
“True inclusion recognises that not every household looks the same in terms of income, family structure and health needs.”
That means the new scheme could work for anyone from the single mom supporting her kids on a varying monthly income to the teacher who needs chronic medication, the delivery driver, or the young creative who just needs peace of mind for hospital emergencies.
It also works better for growing families whose health needs may change over time. And when a scheme is flexible and fair like this, the door is open for more people to join.
A smarter system for the long term
This domino effect – from choice to control to affordability to inclusion – doesn’t just benefit individuals. It strengthens the medical aid system for everyone. When people can stay covered throughout their lives, they’re more likely to be proactive with their health in terms of getting early treatment or managing conditions before they become emergencies that disrupt their lives.
That means less strain on healthcare facilities, fewer last-minute hospital admissions and better health overall.
Choice: the first domino
The future of medical aid does not lie in cutting benefits to reduce costs. It lies in designing a more innovative option structure that gives members more control and choice, leading to a more valuable product that more South Africans can afford. From that first domino comes a knock-on effect that results in a more inclusive healthcare system and a healthier community overall.
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