CAPE TOWN - With today's Medium-Term Budget, pressure is on Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to clear the air on medical tax credits.
The Board of Healthcare Funders warns that scrapping the credits, to fund the National Health Insurance, could push as many as 690,000 people out of private healthcare.
Middle and lower-income earners would be hit hardest.
Health officials have hinted that government plans to phase out medical tax credits by 2029, before the NHI is even fully up and running.
The BHF says pulling the plug too soon would be reckless, risking affordability and placing more strain on an already stretched public system.
They’re calling on Godongwana to guarantee transparency and protect existing healthcare cover as he delivers the budget update.