A reimagined medical aid scheme from Fedhealth and Sanlam promises to take the confusion out of care.
When it comes to medical aid, South Africans are often overwhelmed by the fine print and complicated benefits most plans offer. Following Sanlam and Fedhealth’s announcement that they’re joining forces to reimagine medical aid as we know it, a revitalised medical aid scheme is on the horizon. Aimed at making South Africans’ lives easier, the scheme will embody a core set of values, including two that are long overdue in the medical aid landscape: simplicity and trust. The scheme is set to launch in October and will be available to join from January 2026.
Medical aid in South Africa can be a financial lifesaver should you be in an accident or fall ill and want access to private medical care. In many cases though, people find their medical aid hard to understand in terms of whether or not they’ll be covered.
“I was admitted to hospital for an emergency appendectomy, but instead of being able to rest and recover post-surgery, I spent my time in hospital worrying about whether my medical aid would cover my procedure,” says Zinzi, an otherwise healthy 24-year-old who is a member of a basic hospital plan. “I clearly remember lying in my hospital bed scrolling through the plan fine print on my phone, trying to work out whether all the costs for my hospital stay would be covered.”
Unfortunately, Zinzi isn’t alone – many South Africans feel overwhelmed when it comes to the details of their medical aid coverage. This worry is exacerbated when they have a health concern, which is exactly when they should be resting and recovering free of stress. Unfortunately, due to the nature of medical aid as we know it, it seems that this is simply the way things have to be.
Or do they?
This October, South African medical aid consumers will be given another option: a medical aid scheme that embodies simplicity and is rooted in trust. Rather than piling on more features, the updated scheme will take a fresh approach – by ensuring members have a clear understanding of their cover from the get-go and more of a say in how their cover is structured, so that it’s more transparent, more personal and more reliable.
The updated scheme is being jointly relaunched by Fedhealth, one of South Africa’s most established and trusted medical aid schemes, and financial services giant Sanlam. “It’s clear that when it comes to medical aid, people want to understand what they’re paying for, know what they’re getting and feel confident that their scheme will be there when they need it most,” says Jeremy Yatt, Fedhealth’s Principal Officer. “We aim to address these frustrations directly by prioritising simplicity and ease-of-use wherever possible.”
However, when it comes to the updated scheme, simplicity isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a philosophy that shapes all the decisions behind it. “We wanted to evolve the experience of being a medical aid member and how the experience could be simpler and more seamless – from how it’s designed to how its rules are structured – working within existing legislative frameworks of course,” says Lorraine Mekwa, Managing Executive: Client Experience of Sanlam.
“People want a seamless experience in becoming a member, and then once they’ve joined, they need to be able to navigate the product with ease,” says Yatt.
From onboarding to day-to-day management, or whether it’s getting clarity on co-payments or knowing exactly which benefits apply to them, Mekwa says members should never be left guessing. “Simplicity isn’t just about fewer words,” she says. “It’s about helping people feel empowered in a space that’s historically been overwhelming.”
Earning consumer trust
With simplicity as a cornerstone, medical aid members will feel more confident in what they’re covered for. The natural result is trust – another core principle the new scheme aims to embody. “To us, trust means a commitment to being upfront, transparent and dependable,” says Yatt. “That means real, understandable cover that you can count on when you need it most.” These two values – simplicity and trust – will live alongside the updated scheme’s other three values of simplicity, affordability and customisation.
While the whole picture will continue to unfold as the October relaunch approaches, the updated medical scheme will aim to cut through the noise, with plans that prioritise transparency. By choosing to embody simplicity and trust, Fedhealth and Sanlam aim to make the lives of South African medical aid consumers easier and more secure.
